Satiety, Microbiome, Appetite Regulation, and Tracking Energy Across Targeted Snacks: Acute Postprandial Study

The ZOE SMART EATS (Satiety, Microbiome, Appetite Regulation, and Tracking Energy Across Targeted Snacks) Acute Postprandial Study: Investigating the Acute Effects of a High-fibre Plant-based Snack Bar on Subjective Postprandial Hunger, Energy Intake and Eating Behaviour in Healthy UK Adults.

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn how eating different snack foods affects acute hunger, energy intake and eating behaviour in healthy adults. The study will be conducted remotely over 5 days.

The main questions it aims to answer are:

1. Does eating a snack bar intervention change how hungry participants feel later in the same day?
2. Does eating a snack bar intervention change participants' energy intake, nutrient intake and eating behaviour on the same day?
3. Does eating a snack bar intervention change participants mood, energy levels and alertness later in the same day?

Researchers will compare an intervention snack bar to a control snack bar to see if the intervention improves hunger, energy intake, eating behaviour, and other subjective measures.

Participants will:

• Eat 2 snack bars for breakfast on 2 separate days, with 2 days in between
• Not eat anything after 9pm the night before each test day
• Fill out short online surveys (under 5 minutes) before breakfast and at set times over the next 3 hours
• Not eat for 3 hours after breakfast
• Write down everything they eat that day

Inclusion Criteria:

• Willing and able to follow the study protocol
• Willing and able to provide informed consent
• Regular consumption of snacks (≥2 per day)
• Fibre intake <20 g/d
• Living in the UK

Exclusion Criteria:

• Have BMI of less than 18.5 kg/m² or more than 40 kg/m²
• Have an allergy or intolerance to ingredients in the intervention or control snack bars (including inulin) or cannot eat the food products safely and comfortably for any reason
• Have a personal medical history of inflammatory bowel disease, coeliac disease, Crohn's disease, irritable bowel syndrome, chronic constipation, or chronic diarrhoea
• Have started a new supplement in the past month, or are unwilling to maintain current supplement use throughout the study
• Previously purchased any ZOE products (including Daily30, ZOE gut health bar or ZOE app membership).
• Have taken any medication or product that may modify the measured study outcomes, in the past 3 months (including but not limited to: fibre supplements, antibiotics, non-topical steroids or other immunosuppressive medicines, probiotics or prebiotics, metformin, GLP-1 receptor agonists, lipid-lowering medications such as fibrates, statins, PCSK9 inhibitors, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs)
• Have used opiate pain medication or a proton pump inhibitor for 8 or more consecutive days during the past 3 months
• Have experienced a heart attack, stroke or major surgery in the last 2 months
• Have received treatment for cancer in the last 3 months
• Are currently pregnant, breastfeeding or planning a pregnancy
• Are diagnosed with an eating disorder, type 1 diabetes mellitus or type 2 diabetes mellitus