Unravelling the Effects of Soluble Dietary Fibre Supplementation on Energy Intake and Perceived Satiety in Healthy Adults: Evidence from Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomised-Controlled Trials

Consumption of soluble dietary fibre is recommended as part of a healthy diet. Evidence has shown that soluble dietary fibre slows gastric emptying, increases perceived satiety and plays a significant role in appetite regulation. This systematic review examined the effects of soluble dietary fibre using randomised-controlled trials (RCTs). Three different electronic databases were used, namely PubMed, Scopus® and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL). Effect size (Cohen’s d) was calculated based on the intergroup mean difference and standard deviation (SD) followed by Cochran’s Q and I2 determination. The effect size was statistically pooled in the meta-analyses and presented as a forest plot. The risk of bias was high for each study as assessed using the Jadad scale. Meta-analysis of statistically pooled data for guar gum showed a sizeable effect on post-meal energy intake, followed by β-glucan, alginate, polydextrose and pectin, with pooled effect sizes of −0.90, −0.44, −0.42, −0.36 and −0.26, respectively. Guar gum (5 g) effectively reduced energy intake when prepared in milk beverages compared with control milk (p < 0.001). Alginate, when prepared in liquid (5 g) or solid (9 g) meals, effectively reduced energy intake compared with control (p < 0.001). A high dose of polydextrose (25 g) prepared in liquid meal form significantly reduced energy intake (p = 0.01). This study suggests that soluble fibres are not all created equal. Further interventional studies are needed to determine whether combinations of these soluble fibres might have greater effects than individual fibres per se

Evaluation of usability of Malaysia Diabetes Prevention Program (MyDiPP) mobile app – a pilot study

Malaysia is confronting a type 2 diabetes (T2DM) epidemic; around 3.9 million Malaysians have T2DM. Lifestyle modification intervention is effective in reducing or delaying the onset of T2DM among high-risk individuals. The Malaysia Diabetes Prevention Programme (MyDiPP) app is a lifestyle intervention digital therapy with multiple approaches (weight loss, dietary modification, physical activity, and quality of life). This study aimed to assess the usability of the MyDiPP mobile app among high-risk individuals in Kuala Terengganu. A random sample of 10 users was selected in the usability evaluation of the MyDiPP mobile app. Data collection methods included an online survey on the usability aspect of mobile apps in terms of usefulness, ease of use, satisfaction, and ease of learning. The results showed that MyDiPP mobile app is useful, easy to use, satisfying, and easy to learn from the high-risk adults’ perspectives with slightly agree, moderately agree, and strongly agree to have the highest percentage. From these results, it can be inferred that, from the perspective of high-risk individuals, MyDiPP mobile app meets the usability aspects and can be used to help prevent the development of diabetes among at-risk adults