An INDEPENDENT SCIENTIFIC study
The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a hyper-caloric diet with regular peanut butter versus a hyper-caloric diet with modified peanut butter, consumed over two weeks, on body composition and metabolism in a cross-over design using six healthy subjects.
The primary findings of the study were that two weeks of overfeeding of regular peanut butter resulted in an approximately 1 kg or a 6.3 % increase in fat mass in the test group.
The test group given WiO's peanut butter over the same time frame had no increase in fat mass.
An INDEPENDENT SCIENTIFIC study
The Introduction
Obesity is a condition of excess body fat, and it is defined as having a body mass index (weight in kg divided by the height squared in m) of ≥ 30 kg/m. The prevalence of obesity in US adults has increased from 15% in 1980 to over 40% in 2024. This steep rise in the number of obese individuals in the US has made the obesity epidemic one of the leading public health concerns of the century.
Obesity is associated with type II diabetes, hypertension, coronary heart disease, gallstones, osteoarthritis, and many types of cancers. As a result, for every 5-unit increase in BMI above 25 kg/m, mortality increases by 29%, cardiovascular mortality by 41%, and diabetes-related mortality by 21%. Furthermore, obese compared to normal-weight individuals incur greater healthcare (36%) and medication (77%) costs.
Obesity occurs through multiple mechanisms. However, it is most notably manifested through a sedentary lifestyle and excessive energy intake above daily needs. Evidence suggests that the degree of obesity is directly related to the amount of fat consumed, and some experts propose that of all potential factors influencing obesity, high-fat (HF) diets may initiate the strongest effect.
Because HF foods are so popular among Americans, introducing toppings that are high in fat, such as peanut butter, may accelerate fat gain. One potential strategy to prevent fat gain may be to modify higher-fat kinds of butter or foods to reduce fat digestion and absorption.
Peanut butter, a high-fat food item, is commonly consumed by many Americans. An example of modified foods including peanut butter has been marketed for consumption by (WiO SmartFoods™).
The product contains modified cyclodextrins (CD), a naturally occurring fiber. Modified cyclodextrins, a soluble dietary fiber, have been shown to bind and eliminate nine times its weight in dietary fat. Studies with different animal models have reported that CD preferentially binds fatty acids, reducing their levels in the blood. Clinical trials demonstrated that CD prevented weight gain in obese diabetic patients. However, the combination of CD with peanut butter in healthy subjects remains to be examined.
Source: The Childhood Obesity Intervention Cost-Effectiveness Study (CHOICES)
The Study
The purpose of this pilot study was to examine the effects of a hypercaloric diet with regular peanut butter (HC + RPB) versus a hypercaloric diet with modified peanut butter (HC + MPB) on body composition and metabolism in a crossover design using six healthy, non-obese subjects.
In a double-blind placebo randomized study, two groups of healthy individuals were tested over 14 days. One group consumed one (1) 12 oz. jar of regular (popular U.S. brand) peanut butter (regular peanut butter (HC + RPB)) in addition to their regular diet each day for 14 days. The other group did the same but used modified peanut butter (HC + MPB) peanut butter that was made with WiO SmartFood’s™ modified cyclodextrin carb/fat inhibiting technology.
Subjects were asked to meet their usual daily energy needs, as determined by metabolic cart testing, plus an additional 5 servings (160 g) of their respective peanut butter condition. All subjects had prior experience tracking dietary intake and were familiarized with tracking intakes. Subjects tracked their dietary intake 3 d/wk during the 2-week intervention periods and emailed the weekly dietary report to a researcher at the end of the week. The consumption of both the modified and regular peanut butter was supervised by the investigators to enhance adherence.
Body composition was determined by a whole-body scan on a dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry device (Horizon DXA System, Hologic Inc, Marlborough, MA). Fat-free mass (FFM), Fat Mass (FM), and Body Fat Percentage (BF%) were determined for the total body with the subject lying in a supine position with knees and elbows extended and instructed not to move for the entire duration of the scan (approximately 5 minutes). Results from each scan were uploaded and accessed on a computer that was directly linked to the DXA device. Calibration of the DXA device was done against a phantom provided by the manufacturing company before testing.
Subjects were instructed to avoid consuming caffeine and stimulants that could alter resting metabolic rate (RMR) and respiratory exchange ratio (RER). Before testing, subjects will be positioned in a chair and instructed to avoid unnecessary movement to achieve a resting state (approximately 2-3 minutes). Metabolic testing was conducted on an indirect calorimeter (CardioCoach; KORR Medical Technologies, Inc, Salt Lake City, Utah) for approximately 12 to 15 minutes in a quiet, lit room while subjects breathed normally into a mouthpiece with a nose clip in place. Calibration took place before each individual test; this process is automated as the device contains barometric, temperature, and humidity sensors in addition to the oxygen and flowmeter sensors.
Before carrying out inferential statistics, data was assessed for normality via the Shapiro-Wilk test. All data passed normality testing (p>0.05) and there were no outliers detected according to visual inspections of box blots. The means and relative percent change values ([Time2Time1/Time1)*100]) were analyzed by a two-tailed, paired t-test for dependent variables. Statistical significance was accepted ap<0.05. Data are reported as mean and standard error. Statistical analysis was performed using GraphPad Prism 8 software (GraphPad Software; SanDiego, CA, USA).
The Results
After the 14-day period, the first group increased their body fat by more than 6%. The group that consumed the WiO SmartFoods™ formulated peanut butter gained no weight or body fat.
Metabolism - There were no significant between- or within-condition differences for resting metabolic rate (p>0.05, Figure 1) or respiratory exchange ratio.
Dietary Intake - There were no significant between-group differences (p>0.05) for the percentage of calories consumed from fat, carbohydrate (CHO), or protein (PRO). Additionally, no significant differences in total calorie intake (kcal) occurred between groups (p>0.05, Table 4).
Fat Mass (FM) - Fat Mass significantly increased from Pre- to Post-Test in the HC + RPB condition (p<0.05, mean diff = +1.00kg, 95% CI: 0.11 to 1.88kg) whereas no significant changes were demonstrated in the HC + MPB condition. (Figure 1).
Additionally, the relative Pre-Test to Post-Test percent change was significantly greater in HC + RPB (p<0.05, mean diff = 6.04%g), 95% CI: 0.43 to 12.50%, Figure 3) compared to HC+MPB. The raw data expressed as mean and standard error is displayed in Table 1.
Discussion and Conclusions
The purpose of this pilot study was to examine the effects of a hyper-caloric diet with regular peanut butter (HC +RPB) versus a hyper-caloric diet with modified peanut butter (HC + MPB), consumed over 2 weeks each, on body composition and metabolism in a cross-over design using 6 healthy subjects. The primary findings of the study were that 2 weeks of overfeeding with regular peanut butter resulted in an approximately 1 kg or a 6.3 % increase in fat mass while the subjects given WiO peanut butter had no significant change in fat mass. *Research Department, Applied Science and Performance Institute. Tampa, FL, USA
However, when peanut butter was treated with Modified Cyclodextrins, subjects did not gain fat.
These findings agreed with Antonio J. (The effect of peanut butter overfeeding in trained men and women: A pilot trial. J Exerc Nutr. 2017) who found that overfeeding with regular peanut butter by the same amount but spread over 4 weeks also increased fat mass by about a kg. However, in the current study when peanut butter was treated with Modified Cyclodextrins, fat gain was prevented.
Our results also agreed with previous research in obese individuals that demonstrated that Modified Cyclodextrins were able to prevent fat gain when overfeeding on a high-fat diet.(Jen C, Grunberger, Artiss. On the binding ratio of & alpha; cyclodextrin to dietary fat in humans. Nut Dietary Suppl. 2013).
While we did not investigate the exact mechanism of action previous studies have. Specifically, Modified Cyclodextrins are cyclic oligosaccharides derived from corn. These fibers have been shown to form a stable complex with dietary fat. Once formed the complex is resistant to normal lipolytic hydrolysis by lipases and thereby reduces the absorption and bioavailability of dietary fat.
Thus, it is likely that the fiber source prevented over assimilation of calories into fat by inhibiting their absorption.
In conclusion, the alteration of peanut butter with WiO SmartFoods™ Modified Cyclodextrins was able to prevent fat gain. These results have implications for the prevention of fat gain in numerous populations. Our research has extended previous findings in obese populations to normal healthy weight populations.
Frequently Asked Questions
References and Studies
Cyclodextrin: Enzymatic production and food applicationsZhaofeng Lia,b , Sheng Chena,c , Zhengbiao Gua,b , Jian Chena,c and Jing Wua,c, * a StateKey Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University.
Artiss JD, B. K.-L. (2006). The effects of a new soluble dietary fiber on weight gain and
selected blood parameters in rats. Metabolism Clinical and Experimental, 55, 195-202.
Brogan K, A. J.-L. (2004). The effects of a new soluble dietary fiber on weight gain and
insulin sensitivity in rats. Obesity research, 12, A110.
Buckley JD, T. A. (2006). Inhibition of the post-prandial glyceamic response - standard
carbohydrate meal dosed with of
Cyclodextrin. Annals of Nutrition and Metabolism,
50, 108-114
Comerford K, A. J.-L.-K. (2011). The beneficial effects on blood lipids and weight loss in
healthy humans. Obesity, 19, 1200-1204.
Gallaher DD, G. C. (2007). Cyclodextrin selectively increase fecal fat excretion of saturatedfats. Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology Journal, 21, A730.
Jarosz PA, F. E.-L. (Submitted). The effect of Cyclodextrin on postprandial lipid andglycemic responses to a fat-containing meal. Obesity.
Jen K-LC, W. E. (2007). Cyclodextrin specifically lowers plasma fatty acids in 3 mousemodels. Obesity, 15, A184.
Kasim-Karakas S, C. K.-L. (2009). The beneficial effects on Cyclodextrin on blood lipidprofile in healthy humans. Obesity, 17, S270.
McGowan MW, A. J. (1983). A peroxidase-coupled method for the colorimetric determination of serum triglycerides. Clinical Chemistry, 29(3), 538-542.
Shimada K, K. K. (1992). Structure of inclusion complexes of cyclodextrins with triglycerideat vegetable oil/water interface. Journal of Food Science, 57(3), 655-656.
Trichard L, D.-C. B. (2007). Novel beads made of Cyclodextrin and oil for topical delivery ofa lipophilic drug. Pharmaceutical Research, 25(2), 435-440.
Trichard L, F. E.-L. (2008). Formulation and characterization of beads prepared fromnatural cyclodextrins and vegetable or synthetic oils. International Journal ofPharmaceutics, 354, 88-94.
Wagner EM, J. K.-L. (2008). Dietary Cyclodextrin lowers LDL-C and alters plasma fatty acidprofile in LDLr-KO mice on a high-fat diet. Metabolism Clinical and Experimental, 57,1046-1051.
Buckley JD, Thorp AA, Murphy KJ, Howe PR. Dose-dependent inhibition of the post-prandial glyceamic response to a standard carbohydrate meal following incorporation ofCyclodextrin. Ann Nutr Metab. 2006;50(2):108-14.
Suzuki M, Sato A. Nutritional significance of cyclodextrins: indigestibility and hypolipemiceffect of Cyclodextrin. J Nutr Sci Vitaminol (Tokyo). 1985 Apr;31(2):209-23.
Jen KL, Grunberger G, Artiss JD. On the binding ratio of Cyclodextrin to dietary fat inhumans. Nutrition and Dietary Supplements. 2013;(5):9-15.
Wagner EM, Jen KL, Artiss JD, Remaley AT. Dietary Cyclodextrin lowers low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and alters plasma fatty acid profile in low-density lipoprotein receptorknockout mice on a high-fat diet. Metabolism. 2008 Aug;57(8):1046-51.
Gallaher DD, Gallaher CM, Plank DW. Cyclodextrin selectively increases fecal excretion ofsaturated fats. FASEB J. 2007;21(701):2.
Artiss JD, Brogan K, Brucal M, Moghaddam M, Jen KL. The effects of a new solubledietary fiber on weight gain and selected blood parameters in rats. Metabolism. 2006Feb;55(2):195-202.
Grunberger G, Jen KL, Artiss JD. The benefits of early intervention in obese diabeticpatients with Cyclodextrin: a new dietary fibre. Diabetes Metab Res Rev. 2007Jan;23(1):56-62.
Comerford KB, Artiss JD, Jen KL, Karakas SE. The beneficial effects of Cyclodextrinon blood lipids and weight loss in healthy humans. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2011Jun;19(6):1200-4.
Mortensen LS, Thomsen C, Hermansen K. Effects of different protein sources on plasminogen inhibitor-1 and factor VII coagulant activity added to a fat-rich meal in type 2diabetes. Rev Diabet Stud. 2010 Fall;7(3):233-40.
Peddie MC, Rehrer NJ, Perry TL. Physical activity and postprandial lipidemia: are energyexpenditure and lipoprotein lipase activity the real modulators of the positive effect?Prog Lipid Res. 2012 Jan;51(1):11-22.
Tanaci N, Ertugrul DT, Sahin M, et al. Postprandial lipemia as a risk factor for cardiovascular disease in patients with hypothyroidism. Endocrine . 2006 Jun;29(3):451-6.
Jarosz PA, Fletcher E, Elserafy E, Artiss JD, Jen KL. The effect of Cyclodextrin onpostprandial lipid and glycemic responses to a fat-containing meal. Metabolism. 2013Oct;62(10):1443-7.
Jouni ZE, Zamora J, Snyder M, Montfort WR, Weichsel A, Wells MA. a-Cyclodextrin extractsdiacylglycerol from insect high density lipoproteins. J Lipid Res. 2000;41:933-9.