Soluble fiber dextrin and appetite in a randomized trial
What it found
In 43 adults, a single day of eating foods with soluble fiber dextrin raised breath hydrogen but did not change food intake, appetite or appetite hormones.
The authors say the study's limitations may have hidden an effect.
What they found
Studies in people
Breath hydrogen
Breath hydrogen was higher after all soluble fiber dextrin treatments compared to control. This suggests the fiber was fermented in the gut.
Appetite hormones
There was no overall difference in GLP-1, ghrelin, CCK-8 or PYY 3-36 between treatments. One post-hoc comparison found higher PYY 3-36 for the corn20 treatment compared to control.
Subjective appetite
Ratings of hunger, fullness, desire to eat and prospective consumption did not differ between treatments.
Food intake
The amount of calories eaten at lunch, snack, dinner or from diet diaries did not differ between treatments. Total calories for the day also did not differ.
What the authors conclude
“Consuming foods containing SFD increased breath hydrogen but did not influence food intake, appetite or appetitive hormones.”
Also in their conclusions
- They conclude that consuming foods containing soluble fiber dextrin increased breath hydrogen but did not influence food intake, appetite or appetitive hormones.
- They state that the limitations of this study may have individually or collectively masked an effect of soluble fiber dextrin on food intake and appetite.
- They advise that further studies using different approaches are required to fully understand the effect of soluble fiber dextrin on food intake and appetite.
How it was done
The authors wanted to see if soluble fiber dextrin could increase fullness and reduce food intake, which might help with weight management.
Forty-three healthy adults aged 18 to 45 with a BMI of 19.9 to 29.9 took part. They ate five different test treatments on five separate days, at least a week apart, including a control and four doses of soluble fiber dextrin from corn or tapioca. The researchers measured appetite, hormones, breath hydrogen and how much food they ate over the day.
What it can’t tell you
- This was a single-day study, so it cannot show what happens with longer-term consumption.
- The participants were healthy adults with a narrow range of characteristics, so the results may not apply to other groups such as children or older adults.
- The study did not control for the menstrual cycle in women, which may have hidden an effect.
Who paid
- Funding
- Funded by Tate and Lyle (from the PubMed record).
- Conflicts
- The authors declare no conflict of interest. The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript, or in the decision to publish the results.
- Authors work at
- Iowa State University, USA
The paper
- Title
- The Effect of Soluble Fiber Dextrin on Subjective and Physiological Markers of Appetite: A Randomized Trial
- Type
- Randomised controlled trial
- Evidence
- Studies in people
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Cite
- Emilien CH, Hsu WH, Hollis JH (2020). The Effect of Soluble Fiber Dextrin on Subjective and Physiological Markers of Appetite: A Randomized Trial. Nutrients. doi:10.3390/nu12113341Free full textPubMed 33143121DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error