CALGARY, Alberta, Jan. 31 (UPI) -- Canadian researchers are beginning a human trial to assess a natural fiber shown to be effective in tests involving genetically obese rats.
"It may not be the magic bullet, but in all likelihood this will likely be one factor that people can change in their life to help achieve a healthy body weight," says Raylene Reimer, a researcher at the University of Calgary in Alberta, Canada. "It won't cure obesity or cause people to drop half their body weight -- not even our strongest obesity drugs can do that -- but we believe it could help."
The fiber, oligo fructose, is not a chemical or a drug; it's a food product that is already used in things like yogurt, cereal and baby food.
"We have found in a previous study with rats that the fiber increases the levels of a satiety hormone called glucagon-like peptide -- GLP-1 -- in the body and increases a gene in the intestines that helps the body to create more GLP-1," says Reimer.
In the rat study, the researchers found that consuming the natural fiber helped the rats to significantly reduce their food intake and improved their blood lipid profile.
