A researcher at the University of Calgary believes she may have found an important weapon in the war against obesity. Dr. Raylene Reimer and her colleagues are launching the first human trials to assess a promising natural fibre, already shown to be effective in tests involving genetically obese rats. "It may not be the magic bullet," Reimer says, "but this will likely be one factor that people can change in their life to help achieve a healthy body weight." The fibre is called oligo fructose, also known as fructo-oligosaccharide, or FOS. In a study with genetically obese rats, Reimer found that FOS helped rats significantly reduce their food intake and improve blood lipid profile. FOS is already included in many probiotic supplements.
Source: University of Calgary, Jan 31, 2007
