A latest study done by Tate & Lyle found that by increasing the fibre content of everyday foods like baked goods, dairy products, soups, smoothies and dressings, these will enable 50% more adults to get the recommended daily amount of fibre in their diets and lower the risk of heart disease and diabetes for the majority of adults.
This study was conducted in the UK commissioned by Tate & Lyle, working with specialist data analytics company Crème Global. According to the study, reformulating everyday foods with added fibre could:
- Reduce the risk of cardiovascular and type 2 diabetes risk for 72% of the adult population[2]
- More than double the number of children in the UK meeting their fibre intake recommendation[3]
- See 6% of the (UK) population lose weight through higher fibre consumption[4]
The study also found that UK adults consume just 19g of fibre per day on average, significantly under the recommended amount of 30g, with only 9% currently meeting the daily target. This figure might be even lower in other lesser developed countries in Asia. Low fibre intake is associated with higher levels of colorectal and breast cancer, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes, and can disrupt the beneficial gut microbiome.
Dr Kavita Karnik, Global Head, Nutrition & Regulatory Affairs at Tate & Lyle and a co-author of the health and nutrition data modelling study said, “Most people understand that eating fibre helps keep bowel function regular, but fewer understand that getting the right amount of fibre in your diet is highly beneficial for wider health and wellbeing, including cardiovascular, immunity, skin, brain and gut health. However, for most people it is difficult to get enough fibre into their diet without exceeding their recommended calorie intake. This is where fibre fortification could play a highly beneficial role to public health – it would allow consumers to continue eating the products they prefer while potentially, lowering rates of cardiovascular disease, Type 2 diabetes and help maintain a healthy weight across the population.”
To increase their intake of fibre, consumers themselves can make several changes to their diet for instance, swapping jam with almond/nut butters or swapping white sliced breakfast toast with a fibre fortified cereal. This however might be challenging, according to Sara Stanner, Science Director at the British Nutrition Foundation. She said, “We know that we need diets to change to support better health but encouraging people to make sustained changes to their behaviour is notoriously difficult. This is where reformulation of the everyday products that people eat and drink can be really effective in improving nutritional intakes. We have seen how reformulation has helped to reduce salt consumption and it’s important that the food industry continues to innovate to produce healthier products, in some cases reducing nutrients such as salt or sugar or by adding beneficial components such as fibre.”
Tate & Lyle recently signed up to the UK’s Food and Drink Federation’s (FDF) Action on Fibre initiative, helping consumers to bridge the gap between fibre intake and the dietary recommendation to help improve gut health and reduce the risk of heart disease, diabetes, and certain types of cancer. Presently, Tate & Lyle offers a broad selection of soluble fibre solutions, such as its PROMITOR® fibre, with distinctive attributes for many food and beverage categories. These include sugar and calorie reduction as well as fibre fortification, helping to support healthier lifestyles and provide nutritional benefits, while maintaining great taste.
Amy Glass, UK Diet and Health Policy Manager, at the FDF commenting on the results of the study, “Reaching the daily recommendation is challenging, even if you eat the recommended 3 portions of starchy food and 5 portions of fruit and vegetables, this still falls short of the daily 30g fibre recommendation. FDF’s Action on Fibre campaign aims to highlight the vital role reformulation and new product development plays for food and beverage companies, giving consumers a wider range of products to assist them in hitting the target more easily. We welcome this research in demonstrating the power these initiatives can have on improving the national diet and raising awareness on the benefits of fibre as part of everyday, healthy lifestyles.”
Tate & Lyle PLC is a leading global provider of food and beverage ingredients and solutions with an annual turnover of £2.8 billion (US$3.8 billion). Its Food & Beverage Solutions business develops solutions which reduce sugar, calories, and fat, add fibre, and provide texture and stability in categories including beverages, dairy, bakery, soups, sauces, and dressings amongst others.
[2] The CVD risk distribution curve shifted 13% to the left towards lower CVD risk over the next ten years because of fibre fortification, with 72.2% of subjects achieved a reduction in cardiovascular risk (p ≤ 0.05). A mean of a 5.45% chance of developing type 2 diabetes within the next 10 years at baseline was reduced to 4.98% at intervention. A reduction in type 2 diabetes risk was observed in 71.7% of subjects (p ≤ 0.05).
[3] The number of children aged 2-5 getting recommended dietary reference values (DRV) 15g/day increased intake by 118.1% (14.9% to 32.5%). The number of children aged 6-10 getting recommend DRV 20g/day increased intake by 111.3% (10.6% to 22.4%). The number of children aged 11-16 getting recommend DRV 25g increased intake by 64.9% (5.7% to 9.4%).
[4] Mean body weight reduced by 0.03 kg (from 70.36 kg to 70.33 kg) with 5.9% of subjects achieving a weight reduction (p ≤ 0.05).
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