Two months of supplementation with a combination of extracts from Phaseolus vulgaris (kidney bean) and Cynara scolymus (artichoke) were associated with an reduction in hunger scores and greater weight loss, compared with placebo, according to findings published in Phytotherapy Research.
Specifically, people overweight subjects in the bean-artichoke group lost over 1 kg more weight than people in the placebo group, reported researchers from the University of Pavia in Italy.
“These findings are of relevant importance because overweight is an increasing problem worldwide, and the control of appetite is one of the major limiting factors in the treatment of this disease which usually requires a long term intervention,” wrote the researchers.
The researchers used Indena’s Bonvit ingredient containing 100 mg of standardized kidnet bean extract and 200 mg of standardized artichoke extract.
Market potential
With the World Health Organization estimating that by 2015, there will be more than 1.5 billion overweight consumers, incurring health costs beyond $117 billion per year in the US alone, the opportunities for a scientifically-substantiated weight management food product are impressive.
The slimming ingredients market can be divided into five groups based on the mechanisms of action – boosting fat burning/ thermogenesis, inhibiting protein breakdown, suppressing appetite/boosting satiety (feeling of fullness), blocking fat absorption, and regulating mood (linked to food consumption).
The market for food, beverage and supplement weight management products is already valued at $3.64bn (2009 figures) in the US, according to Euromonitor. In Western Europe, the market was worth $1.3bn in 2009.
Bean-artichoke potential
For the new study, the Pavia-based scientists recruited 39 overweight subjects and randomly assigned them to receive either the kidney bean-artichoke supplement or placebo for two months. Satiety was measured using the Haber scale, which required subjects to rank their feelings of hunger/fullness, with –10 being extreme hunger and +10 being ‘full to nausea’.
Results showed that the Haber score for the active supplement increased from -2.84 at the start of the study to +0.61, while the placebo group recorded a final value of -2.86, from an baseline value of -2.76.
In addition, weight loss in the placebo group was measured at 1.54 kg after two months, compared with 2.65 kg in the supplement group.
Commenting on the potential bioactives in the extracts, the researchers note that compounds called phytohaemoagglutinins may increase the release of cholecystokinin and glucagon‐like peptides and glycoproteins: “These, in turn, increase gastric emptying time, thus favouring the feeling of satiety,” they added.
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Source: Phytotherapy Research
Volume 25, Issue 9, pages 1275-1282, DOI: 10.1002/ptr.3425
Authors: M. Rondanelli, A. Giacosa, F. Orsini, A. Opizzi, S. Villani