Polydextrose and appetite feelings in seven small trials
What it found
In seven small trials in people, polydextrose reduced the desire to eat during the meal itself, but made no difference to hunger, satisfaction or fullness.
The effect on desire to eat was seen mainly in men.
What they found
Studies in people
Desire to eat
During the meal itself, polydextrose reduced the desire to eat compared with placebo. This was the only significant result in the whole group.
Desire to eat by sex
When results were split by sex, the reduction in desire to eat during the meal was significant only in men. The authors say this is the first report of this effect by sex.
Hunger
Polydextrose made no difference to hunger during the meal or after it. Some individual studies did report a drop in hunger after the meal when analysed in other ways.
Satisfaction and fullness
Polydextrose made no difference to satisfaction or fullness during the meal or after it. The authors suggest the lack of effect on fullness may be because polydextrose dissolves easily and does not thicken drinks much.
Prospective food consumption
Two studies measured how much food people expected to eat, but their results could not be combined. One of them found polydextrose reduced this after the meal.
Other findings
Study quality
Only two of the seven studies were double-blind. The rest were single-blind, which the authors say carries a high risk of bias. One study also had unexplained differences in the number of participants reported.
What the authors conclude
“This case study demonstrates, for the first time, that polydextrose reduces the Desire to Eat during the Satiation period.”
Also in their conclusions
- They say this review shows for the first time that polydextrose reduces the desire to eat during the meal period.
- They suggest this may partly explain why polydextrose has been seen to reduce how much energy people eat at a later meal.
- They call for future studies to confirm whether polydextrose reduces hunger and increases satisfaction after a meal.
How it was done
The authors wanted a way to compare appetite scores from different studies, because the methods used to analyse them vary so much. They used polydextrose as a case study to test their new method.
They pooled seven randomised, placebo-controlled trials of polydextrose, with 135 participants in total (66 men and 59 women). Doses ranged from 6.25 to 25.0 grams. They split the appetite scores into the meal period (Satiation) and the after-meal period (Satiety).
What it can’t tell you
- The trials were small and most were not double-blind, so the results may be affected by bias.
- The studies used different lengths of time for the after-meal period, which makes them harder to compare.
- The effect on desire to eat was seen mainly in men, and the authors say more research is needed to understand this.
Who paid
- Authors work at
- University of Oxford, UK
The paper
- Title
- Effect of Polydextrose on Subjective Feelings of Appetite during the Satiation and Satiety Periods: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
- Type
- Systematic review and meta-analysisThe authors follow a set, published method to find every relevant study, then combine the numbers from them into one result.
- Evidence
- Studies in people
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Cite
- Ibarra A, Astbury NM, Olli K, Alhoniemi E, Tiihonen K (2016). Effect of Polydextrose on Subjective Feelings of Appetite during the Satiation and Satiety Periods: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Nutrients. doi:10.3390/nu8010045Free full textPubMed 26784221DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error