Rigorous clinical trial shows that daily intake of Supergut's resistant starch fiber blend improves metabolic health and overall quality of life, from quality of sleep to energy levels and mood

• Consuming a proprietary, resistant-starch fiber blend daily reduces blood sugar levels, improves sleep and even elevates energy levels, according to first-of-its-kind study
• Resistant starch is an all-natural form of non-digestible prebiotic fiber largely missing in Western diets; it nourishes beneficial bacteria, balancing the gut microbiome and boosting metabolic health
• Participants in comprehensive clinical trial consumed a daily meal-replacement shake from Supergut, which makes a full line of shakes, bars, and fiber mixes with its clinically proven, patented proprietary resistant starch blend

LOS ANGELES, July 19, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- A first-of-its-kind study shows that daily intake of a proprietary, resistant-starch fiber blend reduces blood sugar levels, improves sleep and elevates energy levels.

The results of a comprehensive clinical trial, completed in June and announced today by Los Angeles-based functional food startup Supergut (formerly Muniq), validate a growing body of scientific evidence showing that resistant starch is the key to transforming the gut microbiome, boosting metabolic health, improving digestion and even enhancing mood.

Resistant starch is an all-natural form of prebiotic fiber that does not get digested in your small intestine like traditional carbohydrates. Instead, it ferments in your large intestine and feeds beneficial gut bacteria, which strengthens the gut microbiome and produces important metabolic by-products, including short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) such as butyrate.

An abundance of evidence shows that health-promoting SCFAs like butyrate are a major source of energy for colon cells; and they play an important role in preventing "leaky gut," decreasing overall inflammation, and regulating metabolism. Resistant starch has relatively few calories and helps reduce blood sugar; it helps regulate gut, metabolic, immune, and neurologic health.

The gut-balancing benefits of resistant starch underscore the outsized role the gut microbiome plays in overall health, helping control digestion and satiety, supporting prevention of diseases and improving physiologic and mental functioning in humans. The gut microbiome also helps regulate blood sugar levels and neurologic health.

"Over the past decade, the medical community has come to appreciate the gut microbiome's central role in driving a wide range of health and wellness outcomes," said Dr. Christopher Damman, MD, MA, gastroenterologist, Chief Medical and Science Officer at Supergut and former head of the microbiome program at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. "We were further impressed with the clinical trial results, which demonstrate that regular consumption of the resistant starch-based shake was more effective than a placebo shake and dietary advice at addressing gut, metabolic, and inflammatory dysfunction."

Despite its wide-ranging benefits, resistant starch is rare in Western diets; it is found in unripe, green bananas, cold cooked rice, and a few other starchy plant foods in modest quantities. Supergut formulated its proprietary fiber blend using diverse and highly concentrated sources of resistant starch to create highly functional and convenient foods that incorporate these essential missing nutrients, with a growing lineup of products.

Last month, Supergut launched Supergut Bars – a convenient, grab-and-go snack you can stash in your car, backpack or desk. The company also launched their gut balancing Supergut Fiber Mix – an unflavored, unsweetened, smooth powder you can mix into coffee, soup, baked goods or nearly any other home-cooked dish. All Supergut products include the company's proprietary resistant starch fiber blend.

Supergut's study is the first clinical trial on resistant starch from a food tech company. The goal was to provide definitive evidence that its products deliver measurable results – establishing a higher standard relative to the growing category of "functional foods" and nutraceutical fads without clinical substantiation.

Supergut's clinical trial was a three-arm, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial conducted over three months with 192 participants. The study included a placebo shake with matched protein and calorie profiles but missing the fiber blend, as well as a control group which did not consume meal-replacement shakes; all participants received the same dietary advice.

Participants who drank the Supergut meal-replacement shakes every day for three months experienced a statistically significant reduction in hemoglobin A1C of 0.7% relative to placebo. Participants with a baseline hemoglobin A1C of 8.5% or greater saw an absolute reduction in A1C of 0.8%.

Hemoglobin A1C measures your average blood sugar levels over the past three months, and is a commonly used test to diagnose prediabetes and diabetes. A reduction of 0.5% or greater is considered a clinically significant improvement in blood sugar control.

Supergut's clinical trial builds on the growing body of evidence indicating the importance of gut health on various dimensions of health. The trial was one of the rare studies showing that a non-pharmaceutical product can reduce A1C levels with both clinical and statistical significance.

A1C levels are notoriously difficult to lower through diet and exercise alone, and most clinical trials of non-pharmaceutical "functional foods" have either shown very small reduction in A1C or focused on other aspects of blood sugar control (like near-term blood sugar levels after a meal).

While a growing body of evidence points to the benefits of resistant starch, the Supergut study is also unusual in that it focuses on a commercially available finished product that incorporates resistant starch. Other studies on resistant starch focus on the impact of a specific ingredient containing resistant starch, such as high-amylose maize flour, which is less practical to incorporate into your daily diet.

In addition to lowering blood sugar levels, the Supergut results showed that 86% of participants reported a significant improvement in at least one of the following health and wellness indicators: sleep, immune health, energy levels, mental health and mood, clarity of thought (and decreased brain fog), and quality of life as measured by the World Health Organization 5 Well-Being Index (WHO-5) and the Diabetes Distress Assessment System. In addition, 60% reported an improvement in at least one area of digestive health, including reduced bloating, reduced heartburn, satisfactory bowel movements, and less nausea.

The study, conducted October 2021 through March 2022, also showed that people who had Supergut shakes experienced lower levels of depression and anxiety, maintained healthier weight, and reduced blood pressure levels.

The principal investigator of the trial, Dr. Juan Pablo Frias, Velocity Clinical Research, commented, "As a physician and clinical researcher who has conducted hundreds of clinical trials for diabetes and metabolism-related medications, I am very impressed to see such clinically significant results with a real food intervention."

Participants in the study represented a range of metabolic profiles including people who were overweight or obese and those with elevated blood sugar levels. The clinical trial included diverse representation with minorities representing nearly 40% of the 192 participants throughout the United States.

Supergut is conducting additional work to further understand how changes in the gut microbiome and other biomarkers (including butyrate, metabolic hormones such as GLP-1, and inflammatory markers) might impact these improvements.

Supergut was founded by Marc Washington in 2019 with initial funding from The Production Board (TPB), the San Francisco-based business foundry focused on food, agriculture, biomanufacturing, human health, and the broader life sciences. At the time, TPB CEO and Founder Dave Friedberg was researching the growing body of scientific evidence on the human microbiome – and he was keen to help create a data-driven, evidence-based business that could popularize gut-friendly resistant starch.

"Our goal was to set a new, extraordinarily high bar for scientific credibility in the food industry – and in so doing create a new category of truly functional food," Friedberg said.

Supergut has been selling its proprietary resistant starch-based products directly to consumers for two years under the Muniq brand name. During this time Supergut has helped thousands of people, many of whom previously struggled with metabolic disorders, regain better control over their health through the brand's patented line of gut balancing products.

Seven out of 10 of Americans are overweight or obese. Half of American adults have cardiovascular disease. And more than 50% of American adults have diabetes or prediabetes, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Real-world and clinical evidence now demonstrate that Supergut not only improves metabolic health outcomes, but also positively impacts a broad range of wellness and quality of life measures including mood, sleep, and energy. These wide ranging benefits indicate the brand's potential to positively impact the health and wellness of the public at large.

"Supergut has already been a game changer for more than 10,000 customers, many of whom previously struggled to stay in control of their health," said Supergut Founder and CEO Marc Washington. "The broad-ranging findings from our clinical study bring our long-term goal of improving public health on a global level into clearer focus. That means we need to make delicious, nutritious, truly functional food accessible for everybody. Our goal is to empower everyone to reclaim and sustain control over their bodies."

Supergut is the leading evidence-based nutrition brand designed to empower consumers to reclaim and sustain control over their bodies through the science of the gut microbiome, offering delicious and convenient functional foods. Harnessing the power of superfood resistant starch, Supergut offers scientifically-backed food products that are clinically proven to improve metabolic and gut health while boosting overall quality of life. Supergut uses breakthrough research and their own gold-standard clinical study to create products that deliver measurable health results for customers, including shakes, fiber mixes, and bars which were recently recognized as Best Nutritional Bar of 2022 by Good Housekeeping. Founder Marc Washington launched Supergut (formerly Muniq) in 2020 on a mission to fix the broken food system and create alternative methods for individuals looking to transform their health through their gut. To learn more, visit supergut.com or follow the brand on Instagram at @supergut.

SOURCE Supergut