Positive impact of a functional ingredient on hunger and satiety after ingestion of two meals with different characteristics.

The ingestion of unavailable carbohydrates - functional ingredients - has presented an inverse relationship with the risk for chronic non-communicable diseases. The objective of this work was to evaluate the effects of addition of inulin to two ready-to-eat frozen meals on the release of gastrointestinal hormones and other parameters related to hunger and satiety. Prototypes of two different kinds of frozen meals were elaborated by the food industry: control meal (C1 and C2); and test meals, added inulin (T1 and T2). Three sequential clinical assays were performed with healthy volunteers: 1) evaluation of glycemic response (n=16); 2) evaluation of gastrointestinal hormones related to satiety (n=15); and 3) evaluation of satiety (by Visual Analogue Scale - VAS and energy intake) (n=52). The meals showed low glycemic index and glycemic load, and T1 showed a decreased glycemic response peak compared to C1. The addition of inulin (~8g) to the test meals (lunch) provided significant satiety, resulting in an decrease in energy intake of 419 (group 1) and 586kJ (group 2) in the two subsequent meals (after 180min and 360min) and a decrease in hunger and increase in satiety at 120 and 180min when comparing with control meals. A positive post-prandial variation was observed in the plasmatic levels of ghrelin and insulin in relation to the control meal (hormones related to hunger in high levels), after the intake of both two test meals. Inulin is an ingredient that presents several positive characteristics for the elaboration of products that stimulate healthy eating habits. These effects are currently being evaluated in medium-term trials.