Do potatoes hold a key to weight loss?
November 17, 2010
Lesley Ciarula Taylor
STAFF REPORTER
Potatoes may be the new weight-loss secret thanks to a decision by Health Canada to allow an extract of the spud to be laced into food.
The government department’s Food Directorate has given Slendesta, created by Kemin Health, “nonnovel food status,” which means it can be added to foods and beverages without any other approval process.
Some lines of cereal bars and shakes sold in the U.S. already contain Slendesta, Kemin product manager Corey Jansen told the Star on Tuesday.
White potato extract is the core ingredient and delivers a dose of proteinase inhibitor II that in turn is said to encourage the release of cholecystokinin, an appetite-suppressing hormone. The extract is found “just underneath the skin” of the potato, although a person would have to down three or four potatoes to get the same amount, he said.
The approval process “went fairly quickly” over a period of three to six months, Jansen said. The Iowa-based company presented evidence of Slendesta’s natural ingredients and its own tests. Slendesta, developed in 2006, has similar status in the U.S. and Europe.
The other 95 per cent of Slendesta powder is fillers such as cellulose, said Jansen.
The next step, he said, will be to develop drinks such as bottled tea or “a Crystal Lite type of sachet” with Slendesta.
“We’re very excited about this. We think that, combined with diet and exercise, Slendesta can help people control their hunger.”
Kemin announced the approval Nov. 12; Health Canada has made no mention of it.
Government spokesman David Thomas would say only: “Due to confidentiality reasons, Health Canada cannot comment on any decisions that may have been made regarding this product.”
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