Innovation to battle overweight and obesity
The increase of lifestyle related diseases has raised awareness of the important role food plays in consumers’ health and wellbeing. The Weighty project headed by VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, took a profound look at the dramatic increase in overweight and obesity in all Western countries.
Because they are thought to be important risk factors for many chronic diseases, the project argued that identification and communication of food properties that may be helpful in their prevention and management is very important.
The project initiated a common Nordic platform where scientist and industry representatives could address the problems of increased weight among consumers and suggest potential solutions. One important output of the project is a literature overview called “Satiety, weight management and food.” This overview is available in the final report, and has summarized all the latest research related to regulating food intake, satiety measurement and food properties that play a role in satiety and weight management. It provides a useful guide for any product developer working with new solutions in this area.
Satiety is important
Working through satiety could be one effective way to contribute to weight control. The top list of researched food compounds that have an effect on satiety is populated by different fibers and proteins. Their role in weight control is well researched. However, there are tremendous differences between e.g. different forms of fiber. Soluble and viscous fibers, like betaglucan from oats, and non-soluble fibers, e.g. wheat bran, have strong proof of good satiety properties, whereas the area of soluble non-viscous fibers like e.g. polydextrose is still quite unknown and should be researched further. Viscosity is an important factor – but it alone doesn’t seem to spell out the whole story. Also a diet rich in protein has been proven in many studies to have an effect on weight management.
Proteins are also of interest for one of the industry participants in the project, meat processor Atria from Finland. Product development manager Leila Vikberg says their interest is mainly in meat proteins, their impact on satiety and how the could be used in the development of new products. She sees that the prime test for manufactures trying to tackle the problem of overweight is to succeed in commercializing products that the consumers accept and are ready to use in their daily diet. Senior Scientist from dairy company Valio, Taru Pilvi, agrees. “One of the biggest challenges is to make the weight-control or light products appealing to the customer”. She describes the dilemma further: “Those who want or need to control their weight are more interested in unhealthy foods and don’t see healthy foods as something that they WANT to eat, but more as something that they SHOULD eat”.
Tasty products
Vikberg at Atria and Pilvi at Valio have similar solutions in mind when asked how manufacturers like they can address the problem of overweight. Vikberg says: “Through research we can broaden our product range and use approved health claims in our marketing to help consumers in their food choices”. Pilvi also emphasizes the importance of the good taste of the product. “We have already healthy non-fat products on the market and one of the most important things it to make them taste good”. She adds, “when people try to lose or control their weight they are not willing to eat foods that are not tasty, especially when they have to limit their intake of food during dieting anyway”.
For both Atria and Valio the project has given some food for thought. Vikberg says it is important to net-work with research institutes and universities, as well as other food companies. Pilvi doesn’t maybe se a direct benefit for her own work but concludes that “the most important
thing in this type of projects is to join forces and try to achieve general guidelines or ideas how the field of functional foods for weight management should be developed and managed in the future”.
OUTPUTS OF THE PROJECT
• The scientists wrote a literature review of the current knowledge on food properties affecting satiety and/or weight management.
• The scientific evidence behind two-step claims may allow easier substantiation of the claim compared to product-specific claims; e.g. “High in fibre. Fibre may increase satiety” compared to “This product increases satiety”.
PROJECT PROFILE
The project aimed at building a Nordic consensus on biomarkers, methodology, procedures and other factors relating to these issues. Weighty created a network of Nordic scientists and food industry working with satiety and weight regulation related issues, with the aim of adopting common practices in assessing evidence for such claims.
Project name: Substantiation of weight regulation and satiety related health claims on foods
Short name: WEIGHTY
Project leader: Marika Lyly, VTT
Technical Research Centre of
Finland, marika.lyly@vtt.fi
Relaterte prosjekter og rapporter: (1)Because they are thought to be important risk factors for many chronic diseases, the project argued that identification and communication of food properties that may be helpful in their prevention and management is very important.
The project initiated a common Nordic platform where scientist and industry representatives could address the problems of increased weight among consumers and suggest potential solutions. One important output of the project is a literature overview called “Satiety, weight management and food.” This overview is available in the final report, and has summarized all the latest research related to regulating food intake, satiety measurement and food properties that play a role in satiety and weight management. It provides a useful guide for any product developer working with new solutions in this area.
Satiety is important
Working through satiety could be one effective way to contribute to weight control. The top list of researched food compounds that have an effect on satiety is populated by different fibers and proteins. Their role in weight control is well researched. However, there are tremendous differences between e.g. different forms of fiber. Soluble and viscous fibers, like betaglucan from oats, and non-soluble fibers, e.g. wheat bran, have strong proof of good satiety properties, whereas the area of soluble non-viscous fibers like e.g. polydextrose is still quite unknown and should be researched further. Viscosity is an important factor – but it alone doesn’t seem to spell out the whole story. Also a diet rich in protein has been proven in many studies to have an effect on weight management.
Proteins are also of interest for one of the industry participants in the project, meat processor Atria from Finland. Product development manager Leila Vikberg says their interest is mainly in meat proteins, their impact on satiety and how the could be used in the development of new products. She sees that the prime test for manufactures trying to tackle the problem of overweight is to succeed in commercializing products that the consumers accept and are ready to use in their daily diet. Senior Scientist from dairy company Valio, Taru Pilvi, agrees. “One of the biggest challenges is to make the weight-control or light products appealing to the customer”. She describes the dilemma further: “Those who want or need to control their weight are more interested in unhealthy foods and don’t see healthy foods as something that they WANT to eat, but more as something that they SHOULD eat”.
Tasty products
Vikberg at Atria and Pilvi at Valio have similar solutions in mind when asked how manufacturers like they can address the problem of overweight. Vikberg says: “Through research we can broaden our product range and use approved health claims in our marketing to help consumers in their food choices”. Pilvi also emphasizes the importance of the good taste of the product. “We have already healthy non-fat products on the market and one of the most important things it to make them taste good”. She adds, “when people try to lose or control their weight they are not willing to eat foods that are not tasty, especially when they have to limit their intake of food during dieting anyway”.
For both Atria and Valio the project has given some food for thought. Vikberg says it is important to net-work with research institutes and universities, as well as other food companies. Pilvi doesn’t maybe se a direct benefit for her own work but concludes that “the most important
thing in this type of projects is to join forces and try to achieve general guidelines or ideas how the field of functional foods for weight management should be developed and managed in the future”.
OUTPUTS OF THE PROJECT
• The scientists wrote a literature review of the current knowledge on food properties affecting satiety and/or weight management.
• The scientific evidence behind two-step claims may allow easier substantiation of the claim compared to product-specific claims; e.g. “High in fibre. Fibre may increase satiety” compared to “This product increases satiety”.
PROJECT PROFILE
The project aimed at building a Nordic consensus on biomarkers, methodology, procedures and other factors relating to these issues. Weighty created a network of Nordic scientists and food industry working with satiety and weight regulation related issues, with the aim of adopting common practices in assessing evidence for such claims.
Project name: Substantiation of weight regulation and satiety related health claims on foods
Short name: WEIGHTY
Project leader: Marika Lyly, VTT
Technical Research Centre of
Finland, marika.lyly@vtt.fi
Substantiation of weight regulation and satiety related health claims on foods
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