Effect of a cellulose-containing weight-loss supplement on gastric emptying and sensory functions.

What Was Tested

This randomized controlled trial looks at Cellulose in the context of cellulite.

CM3, a highly cross-linked cellulose in capsule form, expands in the stomach to a size several fold of its original volume.

It is purported to induce a prolonged feeling of satiation and a delay in gastric emptying, thus promoting weight loss.

Who Took Part

By PubMed's age tags, the people studied were adults, middle-aged adults and older adults, both men and women.

The subjects were treated with six capsules of CM3 or matching placebo 30 min before a standardized solid meal.

How the Study Was Run

The design is described as randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled and crossover.

The participants were allocated by chance, so the Cellulose group and the comparison group should start out alike.

Blinding on both sides kept the participants and researchers unaware of who received Cellulose.

The comparison arm used a placebo, so changes seen with Cellulose could be set against what happens without it.

In the crossover set-up each of the participants took both Cellulose and the comparison in turn, acting as their own control.

What Was Measured

The researchers examined whether CM3 delays gastric emptying (using the stable isotope (13)C-octanoic breath test) and whether it influences subjective feelings of appetite sensations (using visual analog scales, VASs).

Topics PubMed links to this paper include Appetite, Appetite Depressants, Blood Glucose, Breath Tests, Capsules, Cellulose and Dietary Supplements.

What This Means in Plain Language

The paper is a randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled study of Cellulose in people with cellulite.

The publication is from 2008 (Obesity (Silver Spring, Md.)), a journal based in United States.

More context: Cellulite research.