MONDAY, June 16 (HealthDay News) -- Boosting the flavor of your
food with calorie-free seasonings and sweeteners may help you feel
fuller faster and decrease the amount you eat, according to a U.S.
study that suggests this may be a new way to help people lose
weight.
The study of "tastants" -- substances that can stimulate the
sense of taste -- included 2,436 overweight or obese people who
were asked to sprinkle a variety of savory or sweet crystals on
their food before eating their meals. They used the salt-free
savory crystals on salty foods and used the sugar-free sweet
crystals on sweet or neutral-tasting foods. The participants didn't
know what the flavors of the crystals were, other than salty or
sweet. The hidden flavors of the savory tastants were cheddar
cheese, onion, horseradish, ranch dressing, taco, and parmesan. The
flavors of the sweet tastants were cocoa, spearmint, banana,
strawberry, raspberry and malt.
A control group of 100 people didn't use tastants. Both groups
continued their normal diet and exercise habits during the
study.
At the start of the study, the treatment group had an average
weight of 208 pounds and an average body mass index (BMI) of 34,
which is considered obese. After six months of using the tastants,
the 1,436 people in the treatment group who completed the study
lost an average of 30.5 pounds, and their BMI decreased by an
average of five points.
In the control group, the average weight loss was two pounds,
and the average BMI decrease was 0.3.
The findings were to be presented at the Endocrine Society's
annual meeting in San Francisco.
The people in the treatment group may have lost more weight than
those in the control group, because the tastants made them feel
full faster, and they ate less, suggested study author Dr. Alan
Hirsh, founder and neurologic director of the Smell & Taste
Treatment and Research Foundation in Chicago.
Another possibility is that the tastants improved the flavor of
bland but healthy foods such as tofu and some vegetables, resulting
in healthier eating habits.
Tastants aren't commercially available, but people can use
techniques of enhancing their senses of smell and taste to help
them lose weight, Hirsch said.
"Sniff your food before you eat it. Chew it a lot. Choose
low-calorie foods and season them," he said.
In another study to be presented at the Endocrine Society
meeting, researchers found that three months of aerobic exercise
decreased body fat and calorie intake in overweight and obese
people. These changes were linked to increased levels of a protein
called brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), said the team from
the University of Chile Clinical Hospital in Santiago.
BDNF's main role is to promote the growth and survival of nerve
cells, but recent research has shown that BDNF also is related to
obesity and metabolism.
This study included 15 overweight or obese men and women, ages
26 to 51, who did a three-month program of aerobic exercise on a
treadmill and bicycle. They were told they could continue to eat
their usual number of calories.
At the end of the study, the participants had decreased BMI,
waist circumference, and blood pressure, and reported consuming
fewer calories than at the start of the study. They also had
increased levels of BDNF. The higher the concentration of BDNF, the
fewer calories participants consumed and the greater the weight
loss.
This suggests that BDNF acts as an appetite suppressant, the
researchers said. They noted that identifying markers such as BDNF
may help health care providers determine which patients will
benefit from exercise.
More information
The U.S. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney
Diseases has more about
safe and successful weight loss.
