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?

- BY MATT NIXSON

ARE weight-loss injections really the only way out of the nation’s obesity epidemic? With nearly two-thirds of adults in Scotland estimated to be overweight or living with obesity, a rising number are now turning to 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, working with food manufacturer General Mills to raise awareness about fibre, said: “In March alone, a staggering 1.5million people in the UK purchased GLP-I 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 added: “In fact, 80 per cent of UK adults have heard of semaglutide-based weight-loss injections but 39 per cent have never heard of dietary fibre.”

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

Dr Gill Jenkins added: “Decades of evidence supports fibre’s role in appetite regulation.”

SO WHY AREN'T WE GETTING ENOUGH FIBRE?