Chew your way to a leaner body
Posted on 04. Oct, 2009 by Guy Edwards in Nutrition & Lifestyle
Weight management is an emotive issue for many people; often, looking for the latest quick-fix solution to weight loss is a constant source of disappointment.
The truth is that there is no quick-fix solution; instead healthy weight loss involves a myriad of different strategies aimed at improving dietary, lifestyle and psychological factors.
A recent study has shown the importance of chewing food for successful weight loss; a factor which is often completely overlooked in most weight management plans, but may be an important tip to pass on to anyone trying to cut bodyfat.
Details of the small study were published recently in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. The study involved 13 people with an average age of 24 who were randomly assigned to chew 55g of almonds 10, 25 or 40 times. Blood was collected and appetite was monitored for three hours after eating.
Results showed that chewing 40 times was found to suppress hunger and elevate the feeling of fullness more than 25 chews. Levels of the appetite-suppressing hormones glucagons-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) were significantly higher following 40 chews, compared to 25 chews. Insulin concentrations were also observed to decline faster after 25 and 40 chews than after 10 chews.
Study author Richard Mattes commented, “This new almond research indicates that chewing more thoroughly may increase the availability of unsaturated fat and previous research suggests smaller particle size also impacts the availability of other nutrients present in the fat, like vitamin E to the body”.
“These findings also emphasise the importance of examining chewing in the context of a weight management plan because participants reported their hunger was suppressed and their fullness was enhanced as a result of increased chewing of the almonds.”
Sources:
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
2009, Vol 89, Pages: 794-800; doi: 10.3945/ajcn.2008.26669
Cassady, Hollis et al. Mastication of almonds: effects of lipid bioaccessibility, appetite, and hormone response
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