Forgotten fix for appetites

Weight-loss jabs are being hailed as a miracle solution to our obesity problems. But could a more simple alternative be just as effective if you want to feel full? Matt Nixson reports

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Are weight-loss injections really the only way out of the nation's obesity epidemic? With nearly two-thirds of adults in England estimated to be overweight or living with obesity, a rising number are now turning to expensive jabs like Mounjaro and Wegovy.

But research reveals a surprising knowledge gap when it comes to one of the most effective natural tools for appetite control: fibre.

Dietitian Carrie Ruxton, who is working with food manufacturer General Mills to raise awareness about fibre, says: “Pharmacists say we're now spending more than £200million a year on weight-loss medicines - up 56% since last October. In March alone, a staggering 1.5 million people in the UK purchased GLP-1 drugs like Wegovy and Mounjaro. But are we overlooking a safer and more affordable solution?”

While it’s backed by decades of scientific research, fibre has largely been forgotten in today's weight-loss conversation.

Dr Ruxton continues: “In fact 80% of UK adults have heard of semaglutide-based weight-loss injections, but 39% have never heard of dietary fibre.”

That's the finding of the new real-world survey commissioned by General Mills, makers of Fibre One and Nature Valley.

Dr Gill Jenkins adds: “Decades of evidence supports fibre's role in appetite regulation. To give one example, a clinical trial in women found that increasing fibre intake over five weeks - using oat fibre or inulin, a fibre found in chicory - significantly reduced hunger and enhanced the feeling of fullness after meals.

“Another study carried out at Imperial College London found eating fibre-rich foods like apples, chickpeas and carrots stimulates an appetite-suppressing hormone produced in the gut known as PYY.”