Food supplement to keep stomach full half the day

The latest research has been published in the British Journal of Nutrition and funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council.

Olive oil and water mixture
The research made use of the fact that a mixture of olive oil and water can be adjusted in order to change the way they behave when they come in contact with stomach acids.

For the latest research purposes, scientists developed two different types of mixtures. To these mixtures were added stabilizers that are prevalently utilized in the food industry.

To determine the effects of the drinks, 11 volunteers were given the mixture in the form of a coffee-flavored milk shake. A scan of their stomachs was taken after every hour in order to establish how much of it stayed on.

It was found that in people who had consumed the stable mixture, twice as much volume remained in their stomachs after an hour.

If fat remains stable in the stomach, it stays for a longer period of time, which in turn enhances the feeling of a full stomach. Therefore, these two chemicals can prove to be very helpful.

Formula to reduce obesity
Dr Martin Wickham of the Institute of Food Research was quoted as saying, “This formulation could be used as an ingredient in new foods to make them more filling, which in turn could help reduce over consumption of calories.”

He further added, “It is important to control obesity and keep weight down, and this is a more acceptable way of doing it than restricting your food intake on a diet.”

Tween 60 and Span 80
Both the stabilizers used in the study have almost similar chemical properties. While Tween 60 helps in keeping the oil and water stable in the stomach, Span 80 helps in separating the layer of oil from the water layer.

Tween 60 is commonly added in cakes and pastries.