Introduction: The dominant treatments for obese patients are the anti-obesity drugs. We propose a mixture of vegetable fibers and fructo-oligosaccharides as a valid alternative with limited side effects.

Methods: An evaluation of ActiBall’s action on fats and carbohydrates was performed in vitro assay using pancreatic enzymes. The effect of the 2-fiber-Mix on each of the various bacterial groups present in the human gut was expressed as the ratio of bacterial abundance after 48h versus the start of the incubation. The influence on the microbiota was evaluated using the Simulator-of-the-Human-Intestinal-Microbial-Ecosystem (SHIME®)

Results: The fibers mixture display a higher capacity than control to trap fats contained in the tested food items: for chocolate (+24%), chips (+76%) and pistachios (+32%), decreasing the kcal by half. The mixed fibers resulted in a Firmicutes over Bacteroidetes ratio that is rather associated with a lean versus an obese gut microbiome. The results of the SHIME® assays have shown that it regenerates the populations of A. muciniphila.

Conclusion: The fiber complex acts upstream as calorie storage thus reducing assimilation of fats and sugars present in meals. The same fiber complex stimulates microflora growth and restores beneficial intestinal microflora, resulting in typical prebiotic effects (decreased pH, increased production health promoting SCFA, increased health gut microflora).