What if you really felt satiated with a balanced diet? A team of researchers from Imperial College London and the University of Glasgow (United Kingdom) have created a food substance that, mixed with meals, makes us feel fuller, satiated and, therefore, reduces our appetite considerably . The results of the study have been published in Gut , the official journal of the British Gastroenterological Society.
The key ingredient in this compound called inulin-ethyl propionate (IPE) -which has worked in humans- is propionate , a substance that stimulates the intestine to release hormones that act on our brain and we feel the sensation that we are satiated and we are no longer hungry, which could help weight loss to combat such widespread diseases as obesity and being overweight.
Scientists first experimented with animals and later with humans . In the second experiment they had 20 participants. Half of them were given IPE and the other half inulin (a dietary fiber), and were then invited to an all-you-can-eat buffet. The results indicated that those who took IPE, the new compound, ate 14% on average compared to the other participants , also having a higher number of appetite-reducing hormones in their blood.
The experiment was repeated with overweight people and lasted 6 months . In this case, 60 participants were given IPE in powder form to add to their food to the first group, and inulin to the second group, as in the previous experiment. After 24 weeks, the group of volunteers who had taken IPE had less fat in the abdomen and liver compared to the other group .
The difference in adding this new ingredient to meals is that it provides much greater amounts of propionate to the body than can be acquired with a normal diet : “This study shows encouraging signs that supplementing the diet with the ingredient we have developed prevents weight gain in overweight people. We are exploring what kinds of foods it could be added to, but something like bread or smoothies could work well, ”explains Gary Frost, study leader.
