3 days ago
Study reveals new pre-meal hack that could help keep you thin
Smelling your food before you eat it could help you stay thin, research suggests.
Experts found sniffing a meal prior to tucking in could trigger a feeling of fullness that may help prevent people from overeating.
The finding is by German researchers who looked at brain scans of mice as they responded to food odours.
They were able to identify a specific group of nerve cells in the brain that have a direct connection to the nose.
The mice ate less when these cells were activated before eating but only when they were exposed to food smells and not other aromas.
The authors said it's not yet known if the same process of sniffing to suppress appetite could work on humans.
However, they noted our brains contain the same group of nerve cells responsible for the reaction as the mice in the study, suggesting it may work.
But it won't be a weightloss hack for those already overweight— with the experts finding obese mice didn't have the same brain reaction when they smelled food.
This is thought to be because obesity disrupts the sense of smell, a process that has already been observed in humans, the authors explained.
Sophie Steculorum, an author of the study and expert in neuroscience, said: 'Our study shows how much our daily-lives' eating habits are influenced by the smell of food.
'Our findings highlight how crucial it is to consider the sense of smell in appetite regulation and in the development of obesity.
'Since we discovered that the pathway only reduces appetite in lean mice, but not in obese mice, our study opens up a new way to help prevent overeating in obesity.'
Scientists said they believe the basis of the reaction in mice appears to be linked to their survival instincts.
'We think this mechanism helps mice in the wild protect themselves from predators. By eating for shorter periods, they reduce their chances of being caught,' explained the first author of the study and neurology expert, Janice Bulk.
Other previous studies have suggested smelling some odours before a meal can reduce people's appetite.
In particular, smelling apples, peppermint and pears was to stop people eating throughout the day according to a US study.
But other research has shown mixed results, finding overweight people ate significantly more after smelling food odours.
It follows recent research which found eating eggs and vegetables before chips can help you stay thin.
Eating a dose of fibre, protein or fat before carbohydrates can reduce or delay sugar spikes, according to the experts.
These spikes are linked to obesity as fluctuating blood sugar makes you more likely to suffer hunger pangs leading to snacks between meals.
The latest data suggests an estimated 14million people are obese in England—more than a quarter (26.5 per cent) of the population.
A growing number of local areas were also found to have at least a third of adults living with obesity, many of them in the Midlands or the North East.
The obesity crisis costs the NHS more than £11 billion a year and the economy billions more in lost productivity and benefits.
The NHS advises that the best way to lose weight is to adopt a healthy incorporate regular exercise into your routine.
