Latest news with #FlaviaProdam
Irish Independent
16-05-2025
- Health
- Irish Independent
Scientists create a chocolate biscuit that helps you lose weight
That's according to an early study that added a new ingredient to confectionery in an attempt to make people feel less hungry. The team from the University of Eastern Piedmont in Italy presented their preliminary findings at the European Congress on Obesity in Malaga, Spain. Researchers said they added a bitter compound from the Artemisia absinthium plant, also known as wormwood, to an ordinary dark chocolate biscuit. A test on 11 healthy people revealed the bitter ingredient made participants feel fuller. Participants were given two different formulas, one cocoa biscuit and the another which had an enriched bitter flavour using 16pc Artemisia absinthium extract. Food cravings were then measured using a questionnaire on how full they felt after eating. Researchers found those who ate the special biscuits felt less hungry and saw an increase in satiety hormones in comparison to those who ate the plain cocoa biscuit. The bitter taste in the added compound regulates how the body releases the hunger hormone ghrelin and GLP-1, a hormone that also regulates blood sugar, appetite and digestion, study authors explained. It is also the same hormone targeted with weight-loss jabs such as Wegovy and diabetes treatments like Ozempic. This hormone reduces food cravings and slows down how quickly food is digested. ADVERTISEMENT This can reduce the rate glucose is absorbed into the bloodstream. As a result, it makes those who take it feel fuller for longer, eat less and lose weight. Study author Dr Flavia Prodam explained that all the people who ate the bitter biscuit reported lower hunger levels before dinner, but not at any other time of the day. The biscuits, which have been described as being 'very tasty', could be sold commercially to help people lose weight, according to Dr Prodam. The team now plans to launch a clinical trial to investigate how the biscuit affects food intake in obese patients. Dr Prodam said: 'This is an important thing to target because we need to educate people to eat less but there is a lot of failure. The emotional part of eating is important in obesity. 'People want comfort foods, so having one that decreases hunger could be a good strategy.'
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
The dark chocolate biscuit that could help you lose weight
Scientists have created a biscuit that contains a special ingredient to help people lose weight. That's according to an early study that added a new ingredient to confectionary in an attempt to make people feel less hungry. The team from the University of Eastern Piedmont in Italy presented their preliminary findings at the European Congress on Obesity in Malaga, Spain. Researchers said they added a bitter compound from the Artemisia absinthium plant, also known as wormwood, to an ordinary dark chocolate biscuit. A test on 11 healthy people revealed the bitter ingredient made participants feel fuller. Participants were given two different formulas, one cocoa biscuit and the another which had an enriched bitter flavour using 16 per cent Artemisia absinthium extract. Food cravings were then measured using a questionnaire on how full they felt after eating. Researchers found those who ate the special biscuits felt less hungry and saw an increase in satiety hormones in comparison to those who ate the plain cocoa biscuit. The bitter taste in the added compound regulates how the body releases the hunger hormone ghrelin and GLP-1, a hormone that also regulates blood sugar, appetite and digestion, study authors explained. It's also the same hormone targeted with weight-loss jabs like Wegovy and diabetes treatment like Ozempic. This hormone reduces food cravings and slows down how quickly food is digested. This can reduce the rate glucose is absorbed into the bloodstream. As a result, it makes those who take it feel fuller for longer, eat less and lose weight. Study author Dr Flavia Prodam explained that all the people who ate the bitter biscuit reported lower hunger levels before dinner, but not at any other time of the day. The biscuits which have been described as being 'very tasty' could be sold commercially to help people lose weight, according to Dr Prodam. The team now plans to launch a clinical trial to investigate how the biscuit affects food intake in obese patients. Dr Prodam said: 'This is an important thing to target because we need to educate people to eat less but there is a lot of failure. The emotional part of eating is important in obesity. 'People want comfort foods, so having one that decreases hunger could be a good strategy.'
Perth Now
15-05-2025
- Health
- Perth Now
Chocolate biscuits could help people lose weight
Eating chocolate biscuits could aid weight loss in the future. A group of scientists - who are inventing snacks to make people feel full - say that the antioxidants in the cocoa used to make dark chocolate can trigger fullness hormones. They then created a special cocoa biscuit to increase the effects and added a bitter extract from the absinthe plant. The study involved a pilot group of 11 people who ate the 85g biscuit once a day in the morning and results showed that it appeared to stimulate the same hormones as weight-loss injections as participants reported being less hungry during the day, which researchers say would prevent people from snacking and over-eating. One of the hormones triggered is GLP-1, which is targeted by weight loss jabs such as Wegovy and Mounjaro. Study author Dr. Flavia Prodam, of the University of Eastern Piedmont in Italy, said: "All the people who ate the biscuit reported lower hunger before dinner. "It has already been reported that cocoa and dark chocolate have an effect on satiety and in this biscuit with the bitter compound that effect is even higher. I think the GLP-1 receptor could be affected specifically by the bitter compound but we need to investigate that part."
Daily Mirror
15-05-2025
- Health
- Daily Mirror
Scientists develop chocolate biscuit which makes you feel full
The dark chocolate biscuits triggered the key fullness hormone GLP-1 - which is the target of appetite-suppressing injections like Wegovy and Mounjaro Scientists have invented a chocolate biscuit which could help weight loss by stopping us binge eating on treats. Experts who designed the new biscuit say antioxidants in cocoa-rich dark chocolate may help make you feel sooner and stop overeating. Experts at the University of Eastern Piedmont in Italy added a bitter compound from the Artemisia absinthium plant to a normal dark chocolate biscuit. They found dark chocolate biscuits triggered the key fullness hormone GLP-1, which is the target of appetite-suppressing injections like Wegovy and Mounjaro. People reported feeling more full after eating the dark chocolate biscuit with the added compound. Study author Dr Flavia Prodam said: 'This is an important thing to target because we need to educate people to eat less but there is a lot of failure. The emotional part of eating is important in obesity. People want comfort foods, so having one that decreases hunger could be a good strategy. 'We treat patients with drugs but I think the basis is lifestyle management, which is very difficult. Motivating people with comfort food could be an important strategy and putting the two together could be very good for patients.' The researchers said their early tests suggest that people feel more full after eating the new biscuit and so would potentially eat less afterwards. Most biscuits contain a lot of sugar and fat and it is not known yet whether any new biscuit would see the benefits outweigh the harms. Dark chocolate, particularly with a cacao content of over 70%, is known to trigger fullness hormones. The study showed that a standard dark chocolate biscuit without the bitter extract had the same effect of boosting fullness hormones when compared to a glucose drink. The biscuits with the new compound also reduced self-reported hunger in participants. Dr Prodam said: 'All the people who ate the biscuit reported lower hunger before dinner. It has already been reported that cocoa and dark chocolate have an effect on satiety. In this biscuit with the bitter compound that effect is even higher.' The biscuits are the latest attempt to tackle obesity by triggering the GLP-1 hormone to stop people overeating. The researchers said their new chocolate biscuit would be easy to mass produce so could be advertised as a new treat you can't overeat - making it less likely people will scoff the whole pack in one go. Study author Dr Flavia Prodam said: 'I think the GLP-1 receptor could be modulated specifically by the bitter compound but we need to investigate this part… They are very good and similar to normal cocoa biscuits – very tasty.' Dr Carrie Ruxton, a dietitian who was not involved in the study, said: 'The biscuits were compared with a glucose drink, which would be rapidly absorbed by the body and create spikes in glucose. So performing better [on fullness] than a glucose drink is not much of an endorsement. 'A more effective way of limiting appetite and boosting satiety is to eat more fibre and protein. Fibre is low in calories and slows digestion helping us to feel fuller quicker. Protein has been shown to boost GLP-1 levels which helps appetite control. 'Good options for snacks include boiled eggs, wholemeal toast with peanut butter, seeds, popcorn, pineapple cubes, roasted chickpeas or edamame beans.'
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
The dark chocolate biscuit that could help you lose weight
Dark chocolate biscuits could aid weight loss, say scientists. Antioxidants in cocoa-rich dark chocolate may trigger the gut in a similar way to weight-loss injections, making you feel more full and less likely to overeat. Now scientists have invented a biscuit that adds to this by including an extra ingredient which works like Ozempic. The team from the University of Eastern Piedmont in Italy added a bitter compound from the Artemisia absinthium plant, otherwise known as common wormwood, to a normal dark chocolate biscuit. Early tests suggest people feel more full after eating it, see an increase in satiety hormones and potentially eat less afterwards. Experts said that even the normal biscuit appeared to have such an effect, which was then boosted by the bitter extract. The substance triggers one of the body's GLP [glucagon-like peptide] receptors which is the target of weight-loss jabs like Wegovy and diabetes treatment Ozempic. Dr Flavia Prodam, the study author, said: 'All the people who ate the biscuit reported lower hunger before dinner. It has already been reported that cocoa and dark chocolate have an effect on satiety. 'In this biscuit with the bitter compound, that effect is even higher. 'I think the GLP-1 receptor could be modulated specifically by the bitter compound but we need to investigate this part.' Dr Prodam and her team created the baked snack especially for the trial but say it would be easy to make it commercially. She said: 'They are very good and similar to normal cocoa biscuits – very tasty.' They now plan to run a clinical trial to see how it affects food intake in obese patients. Using a popular and delicious food to improve people's health could tackle the issue of comfort eating. Dr Prodam said: 'This is an important thing to target because we need to educate people to eat less but there is a lot of failure. The emotional part of eating is important in obesity. 'People want comfort foods, so having one that decreases hunger could be a good strategy. 'We treat patients with drugs but I think the basis is lifestyle management, which is very difficult. 'Motivating people with comfort food could be an important strategy and putting the two together could be very good for patients.' Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
