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Appetite suppressing food to hit markets
London:
British scientists are developing a 'convenience'
food that are fat-fighting ready-meals and snacks.
The appetite suppressant containing foods could appear
in supermarkets within two years. The approach, which
the researchers are following, includes - incorporation
of hunger curbing plant chemicals called lipids into
a wide range of convenience foods such as cakes and
biscuits. Lipids exist in cereals including oats,
which explains why a bowl of porridge keeps you feeling
fuller for longer. The research, led by Dr Peter Wilde,
of the Institute of Food Research in Norwich, is developing
a way of isolating those lipids that are easily digested
by the body and concentrating them into a product
that can be inserted into food. "We are looking at
how to change the satiety properties," the Telegraph
quoted him, as saying. "We are trying to reduce appetite
by using the body's own natural response rather than
using an appetite suppressant drug," he added. Because
our brains evolved thousands of years ago, when fat
was scarce, we have a big appetite for this high-calorie
food. Therefore, the scientists are trying to find
a way to fool our brains into thinking we have consumed
enough fat. Lipids do this by interfering with lipase,
an enzyme that breaks down fat in the digestive system.
By slowing this breakdown, the gut believes it has
consumed a larger amount of fat than it actually has,
causing a hormonal response that corresponds to feeling
full. The slower breakdown of fat also causes a gradual
release of energy into the body. However, other experts
challenged the demonisation of "convenience" food.
Dr Becky Laing, from the Medical Research Council,
said it was wrong to categorise all convenience food
as "junk". "There are foods that fit this portrayal
but there are many others that don't," she said. "If
we continue to press the message that it is impossible
to eat healthily while using convenience foods, we
simply make healthy eating unattainable. Instead,
we need to press manufacturers to develop more healthy
but convenient options," she added. The study is published
in the International Journal of Obesity.
- Feb
2, 2008
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