Chewing Gum May Help You in Losing Weight

Do you like sweets? So,are you a fan of chewing gum? If yes, this article is for you.

Published in the American Chemical Society’s Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, the study suggests that the simple act of chewing gum can help keep your appetite in check, thus, helping you lose weight. According to Robert Doyle, chemist and lead scientist at the University of Syracuse, it’s all because of the hormone known as human PYY. This hormone is responsible for keeping appetite and energy in line and is usually released when people eat or exercise. Other studies that looked at the hormone have also found that people who are overweight tend to have lower concentrations of PYY than people who are of regular weight. And when injected into both obsese and non-obese individuals, the serum levels of PYY increase and the calories consumed decrease.

Now while it seems easy to just have weight-conscious people ingest the hormone orally, researchers have discovered that the "hormone is destroyed in the stomach and that which isn't destroyed has difficulty crossing into the bloodstream through the intestines." The key is to get the hormone inside the body incognito. There are several ways to trick the body into believing you've eaten, and Doyle has had some success in this field, having disguised the hormone insulin in the past in the form of a vitamin B12 tablet. This time, he intends to try the same thing with PYY using chewing gum. In the same way that nicotine gums have helped smokers quit the habit, Doyle hopes that his new and improved chewing gum would have the same effect. "If we are successful, PYY-laced gum would be a natural way to help people lose weight," he said. "They could eat a balanced meal, then chew a stick of gum. The PYY supplement would begin to kick in about three to four hours later, decreasing their appetite as they approach their next meal."


source: femalenetwork.com