A recently published studyi conducted by Perfood GmbH, Germany, in collaboration with the University of Lübeck, Germany, demonstrates that BENEO ingredients support a personalised nutrition approach. BENEO’s first citizen science study conducted under real-life conditions further confirms the health benefits of BENEO’s slow-release carbohydrate Palatinose and the prebiotic fibre Orafti Synergy1ii. The results show that both ingredients improve blood glucose control and that the latter also beneficially modulates gut microbiota through a significant increase in beneficial bifidobacteria.
This is the first study of its kind to investigate the effects of a BENEO diet combining Palatinose and Orafti Synergy1 in healthy adults in a real-life situation using the citizen science approach. Instead of controlled conditions where all participants eat and drink in a strict and well-controlled manner during the trial, participants in this study consumed BENEO’s ingredients in addition to their normal diet. The effects observed were robust even in such a very heterogenous population and not overruled by the habitual diet and usual lifestyle.
Two dietary interventions were included in the study, targeting the support of blood glucose management, as well as the gut microbiota by increasing the beneficial bacteria (Bifidobacteria). The participants took part in a test phase over 14 days during which, in addition to the habitual diets, over three days they consumed drinks with either 30 g sucrose or 30 g Palatinose twice a day (for breakfast and lunch together with the habitual meal). Orafti Synergy1 (10g/d) was added to their usual dinner for 11 days. Continuous blood glucose monitoring (CGM) was applied to evaluate the blood glucose response throughout, with stool samples collected at the beginning and end of the test phase and analysed using a gut microbiome RNA sequencing technique to measure the compositional changes of the gut microbiota.
The findings highlight the added value of BENEO’s ingredients for everyday life through various applications. When added to the individual diet, beneficial effects that were previously shown in controlled clinical studies could also be demonstrated in an habitual diet situation. In comparison to sucrose, Palatinose showed a lower blood glucose response, a lower and more balanced blood glucose profile for the day, plus a slow release and sustained glucose supply. The positive effects of Orafti Synergy1 supplementation were also demonstrated in this real-life situation through a significant increase in beneficial bifidobacteria and a significant decrease in glycaemic variability over time. The decrease in glycaemic variability over time was irrespective of the carbohydrate consumed and therefore is a beneficial effect that can be regarded as synergistic to the Palatinose™ related effects on blood glucose management. These latest findings demonstrate that the combination of Palatinose and Orafti Synergy1, independently of each other, supports blood glucose management for improved metabolic health. Therefore, incorporating these functional ingredients as part of a healthy diet can improve the diet quality, also in the context of personalised nutrition, and contribute to overall better health.
i Kordowski A, Künstner A, Schweitzer L, Theis S, Schröder T, Busch H, Sina C, Smollich M (2022) PalatinoseTM (Isomaltulose) and Prebiotic Inulin-Type Fructans Have Beneficial Effects on Glycemic Response and Gut Microbiota Composition in Healthy Volunteers – A Real-Life, Retrospective Study of a Cohort That Participated in a Digital Nutrition Program. Frontiers in Nutrition 9. DOI: 10.3389/fnut.2022.829933, published 07 March 2022. Link: https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fnut.2022.829933
ii Orafti Synergy1 is an oligofructose‐inulin combination containing shorter chain inulin (oligofructose DP < 10) and longer chain inulin (inulin DP ≥ 10) in an approximate 50:50 ratio ± 10% each. Beneo‐Orafti, Tienen, Belgium
