The serious problems of obesity and overweight continue to dominate news coverage. More than half of Americans could be obese by 2030, resulting in an array of illnesses that could cost the U.S. up to $66 billion in treatment and over $500 billion in lost economic productivity. The publication entitled “F as in Fat: How Obesity Threatens America’s Future” estimates 6 million new cases of diabetes; 5 million cases of heart disease and stroke; and more than 400,000 cases of cancer in the next 20 years¹.

Unfortunately, with the cultural preoccupation with food, it is becoming increasingly difficult to curb hunger and reduce food intake. The health-cost reductions alone make the opportunities for scientifically substantiated weight-reduction ingredients impressive.

Launched at the 2012 International Food Technologists’ meeting, Solathin is a new weight management ingredient developed to help address the need that food manufacturers and consumers alike have for satiety products. (“Satiety” describes the ability to maintain a feeling of fullness for longer.)

Marketed by Cyvex Nutrition Inc., Solathin is a pure potato protein extract characterized by several low-molecular-weight proteins, including protease inhibitor PI-2². PI-2 enables the release from the brain of cholecystokinin (CKK), a neuropeptide which acts to produce a feeling of gastric fullness, thus helping to reduce food consumption³. Solathin differs from existing PI-2 products with its composition of greater than 90% protein.

Clinically, elevated CCK levels have been shown to directly reduce hunger and induce satiety by decreasing the rate of gastric emptying2. Potatoes have high-satiety properties thought to be due to the presence of P1-2, which has been demonstrated to decrease total caloric intake by about 18% on average over a placebo⁴.

P1-2 consumption has also been shown to slow gastric emptying, in addition to reducing postprandial levels of insulin and glucose⁵. Cyvex reports that a 21-day, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study on Solathin involving 60 adults (20 adults/arm) was recently conducted over a three-week duration. While not completed or finalized yet, preliminary results showed both higher levels and slower rate of decrease of circulating CCK, resulting in slowed gastric emptying. Blood glucose and insulin responses also improved, as well as food intake reduction.

 “With approximately 60 million U.S. adults considered to be overweight, Solathin provides manufacturers with 20 years of university-affiliated research that confirms its ability to safely promote satiety with no observable side-effects,” said Matt Phillips, president and CEO of Cyvex Nutrition Inc. “Solathin’s nutritional makeup provides a superior, vegetable-based protein source to further curb appetite without the use of weight-loss stimulants.”

The need for ingredients to reduce caloric intake has never been greater, as the U.S. is simply not in a position to financially manage the future scenarios. However, it also has been suggested that, if every state decreased their average body mass index by 5% by 2030, millions of people would be spared from obesity-related diseases, and billions of dollars in healthcare spending would be saved.

Solathin offers a safe and natural alternative to stimulants as a potential means to reduce food intake and appetite control. It is hypo-allergenic and non-GMO, offering food manufactures with a clean label, as well as texture and flavor enhancement. NS

References:

^1. Trust for America’s Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. September 2012. F as in Fat: How Obesity Threatens America’s Future. http://healthyamericans.org/report/100/.

^2. Beekwilder J, Schipper B, Bakker P, et al. 2000. Characterization of potato proteinase inhibitor II reactive site mutants. Eur J Biochem. 267(7):1975-84.

^3. Campos CA, Wright JS, Czaja K, et al. 2012. CCK-induced reduction of food intake and hindbrain MAPK signalling are mediated by NMDA receptor. Endocrin. 153(6):2633-46.

^4. Hill AJ, Peikin SR, Ryan CA, Blundell JE. 1990. Oral-administration of proteinase inhibitor-ii from potatoes reduces energy-intake in man. Physiol Behav. 48:241–246.

^5.  Schwartz JG, Guan D, Green GM, Phillips WT. 1994. Treatment with an oral proteinase-inhibitor slows gastric-emptying and acutely reduces glucose and insulin levels after a liquid meal in type-ii diabetic-patients. Diab Care. 17:255–262.

For more information:

Cyvex Nutrition • Irvine, Calif.

Matt Phillips • president/CEO

949-622-9034 • www.cyvex.com