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No appetite efficacy of a commercial structured lipid emulsion in minimally processed drinks

International Journal of Obesity volume 36, pages 1222–1228 (2012)Cite this article

Subjects

Abstract

Background/Objectives:

Fabuless (Olibra) is a commercially structured lipid emulsion, claimed to be a food ingredient that is effective for food intake and appetite reduction. The present study assessed its efficacy in a yoghurt-based mini-drink undergoing low or minimal food manufacturing (thermal and shear) processes.

Subjects/Methods:

Study 1: Twenty-four healthy volunteers (16 female, 8 male; age: 18–47 years; body mass index (BMI): 17–28 kg m−2) took part in a randomised, placebo-controlled, double-blind parallel crossover trial. Consumption of a minimally processed ‘preload’ mini-drink (containing two different doses of Fabuless or a control fat) at 2 h after breakfast was followed by appetite and mood ratings, and food intake measured in ad libitum meals at 3 and 7 h post consumption of the preload. Study 2: As Study 1 (16 female, 8 male; age: 20–54 years; BMI: 21–30 kg m−2). A chilled, virtually unprocessed, preload breakfast mini-drink (containing minimally processed Fabuless or a control fat) was provided 5 min after a standardised breakfast, followed by appetite and mood ratings, and food intake measured in ad libitum meals at 4 and 8 h post consumption of the preload.

Results:

The structured lipid emulsion tested had no significant effect on the primary measures of food intake or appetite.

Conclusions:

Even when exposed to minimal food-manufacturing conditions, Fabuless showed no efficacy on measures of appetite and food intake.

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Acknowledgements

This work was funded by Unilever R&D, Vlaardingen, The Netherlands.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Experimental Psychology, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK

    H J Smit, E Keenan & P J Rogers

  2. Unilever, Englewood Cliffs, NJ, USA

    E M R Kovacs

  3. Unilever R&D, Vlaardingen, The Netherlands

    S A Wiseman & D J Mela

Authors
  1. H J Smit
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  2. E Keenan
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  4. S A Wiseman
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  5. D J Mela
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to H J Smit.

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Competing interests

Dr Smit, Professor Rogers and Mrs Keenan declare no conflict of interest. Dr Mela, Dr Wiseman and Dr Kovacs represent the funding company, which manufactures meal replacement products for weight control.

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Smit, H., Keenan, E., Kovacs, E. et al. No appetite efficacy of a commercial structured lipid emulsion in minimally processed drinks. Int J Obes 36, 1222–1228 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1038/ijo.2011.237

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