Friday, April 22, 2011

Seaweed shake may help you lose weight: Study



London: Want to shed those extra kilos? Have a glass of seaweed shake every morning, as scientists say it will suppress your hunger pangs and help you feel full for a long period.

Researchers at the Unilever Research & Development inVlaardingen, the Netherlands, found that adding the seaweed extract alginate to a chocolate milkshake reduces hunger of study participants by nearly 30 per cent.

Harry Peters, who led the research, said: "Many differentdiets and diet programmes can be effective in reducing weight.

"However, many subjects fail to adhere to these diets andthe reduction in weight is therefore not achieved or maintained," Peters was quoted as saying by the Daily Mail. "Delaying the return of hunger after consumption can potentially increase consumer satisfaction with weight control programmes and reduced-energy food products and encourage long-term compliance with a reduced-energy diet."

For the study, the researchers recruited a group of 23 healthy volunteers who consumed the drink containing various levels of alginate in place of a meal and reported their levels of hunger and fullness over the next five hours.

The volunteers who had the highest amounts of the alginate-based drink for breakfast felt up to 30 per cent less hungry five hours later than those who had a normal milkshake. And the alginate did nothing to alter the flavour of the shake, with the participants saying it was just as pleasant as the real thing.

According to the researchers, the form of alginate used turns into a gel in the acidic environment of the stomach, and the calcium adds to the gel's thickness.

This creates a feeling of fullness, as well as holding food in the stomach for longer, they said.

The scientists, who detailed their study in the journal Obesity, said their findings pave the way for a range of foods that keep us feeling fuller for longer and make it easier to resist snacks between meals.

The research, however, did not look at whether those who drank the alginate shakes ate less for lunch.

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