Could an era arrive in which appetite can be reduced without diet injections? The European Union has approved a new food ingredient that increases satiety to curb overeating, drawing attention as a new alternative for obesity management. Interest is growing because it works by adding the ingredient to everyday foods such as bread or cereal to prevent weight gain.
A joint research team from the University of Glasgow and Imperial College London (ICL) recently announced that Inulin Propionate Ester (IPE), a food ingredient they developed, received final approval from the European Commission and was listed on the Novel Food register. As a result, IPE has been recognized as a safe food ingredient and can now be used in the European market.
IPE is a white powder that combines inulin, a dietary fiber abundant in chicory and onions, with propionic acid, which gut microbes produce when they ferment fiber. The researchers explained that they developed the substance about 15 years ago, but it took a long time to complete the technology that allows the two components to reach the intestine without breaking down in the stomach and then be released separately.
The key lies in GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1). This hormone, which has recently become the core mechanism of obesity drugs, sends satiety signals to the brain to reduce appetite. The biggest difference is that while existing GLP-1 obesity drugs mimic the action of this hormone through medication, IPE increases short-chain fatty acid production in the intestine to induce the body to secrete GLP-1 on its own.
According to the researchers, producing enough short-chain fatty acids to achieve an appetite-suppressing effect through a normal diet alone would require eating about 80 grams of dietary fiber a day. In practice, however, consuming this consistently is not easy. By contrast, the researchers say that consuming only about 10 grams of IPE a day can be expected to produce a similar appetite-control effect.
Positive results have also emerged in actual clinical trials. In a randomized controlled trial of 60 overweight adults aged 40 to 65, the group that consumed IPE showed increased GLP-1 levels and reduced food intake. Participants who took IPE for six months did not gain weight, while about 17% of the control group gained weight. The only confirmed side effect was an increase in gas, commonly seen when eating high-fiber foods.
However, a weight-loss effect was not confirmed in all studies. In another study conducted over one year on 270 adults in their 20s to 40s, there was no significant difference in weight change. Instead, the group that consumed IPE showed an increase in lean mass, such as muscle and skeleton, without any change in exercise levels, and possible improvements in liver fat and metabolic health were also observed. The researchers said that because the effects varied depending on the subjects and their age, further research is needed.
Following EU approval, IPE will be used in general consumer foods, excluding products for infants and young children. Currently, cereal bars and fruit smoothies are among the approved uses, and the researchers are pursuing plans to expand the scope of application to various foods such as bread, cereal, and fruit juice in the future.
"IPE could help prevent the kind of sustained weight gain that would require weight-loss injections," said Douglas Morrison, a professor at the University of Glasgow and a co-developer. Gary Frost, a professor at Imperial College London, also said, "Most people consume far less dietary fiber than recommended," adding, "IPE has the potential to become an easier and more realistic method of weight management."
The researchers have established a separate company for commercialization and are looking for an industrial partner capable of producing thousands of tons. If plans proceed as intended, they expect consumers to be able to directly purchase foods containing IPE in Europe within a year at the earliest.
