Effect of Sinetrol® Xpur on metabolic health and adiposity by interactions with gut microbiota: a randomized, open label, dose–response clinical trial

Abstract Background Sinetrol® Xpur is a polyphenolic ingredient rich in citrus flavonoids that has shown weight loss effects in previous studies. The dose dependent nature, gut microbial actions of this product has not been explored previously, thus presented in this study. Methods In this open label study, we evaluated the effect of Sinetrol® Xpur supplementation on healthy but overweight/obese adults (20–50 yrs) for 16 weeks. Participants (n = 20) were randomly allocated to a high dose group (HD, 1800 mg/day) or low dose group (LD, 900 mg/day) of the product for 16 weeks. Fat composition, gut microbial composition, were evaluated using MRI and 16S rDNA sequencing respectively at week 1 and 16. Results We observed HDL, HbA1C, LDL and leptin improved significantly over 16 weeks, irrespective of the dosage. There was a trend for decrease in visceral adipose tissue (VAT), BMI over time and body weight displayed a trend for dose dependent decrease. Eubacterium xylanophilum, Ruminococcacea UCG-004 genus which increased in HD and LD respectively were negatively associated to VAT. Both doses increased butyrate producers such as Eubacterium ruminantium and Ruminococcaceae NK4A214 genus. Conclusions Overall chronic supplementation of Sinetrol® Xpur, irrespective of their dose improved HDL, HbA1c, LDL and leptin and tended to decrease visceral adipose tissue via changes in gut microbiota. Trial registration number NCT03823196.