Medical Breakthrough: New supplement to turn off junk food cravings

The current obesity epidemic across the world may soon come to an end with just one supplement.



UK researchers claim they’ve developed a supplement that switches off high-calorie food cravings that can cut obesity risk.

Researchers said the supplement can promote healthy appetite by helping people avoid foods like pizza and doughnuts. The supplement is called inulin-propionate ester.

It has been tested with 20 volunteers and the report which has been published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition shows it promotes less cravings for junk food and made volunteers eat smaller portions.

The inulin-propionate ester was developed by researchers at Imperial College London. It contains a molecule called propionate, which is produced by gut bacteria that tells the brain to stop eating when you’re full.

According to the researchers, the fiber in their new supplement, called inulin, increases the production of the propionate molecule in the intestine.

How The Supplement Can Cut Obesity Risk

To test the effect of the supplement, volunteers drank a milkshake containing 10 grams of inulin propionate ester. Researchers then showed pictures of low- and high-calorie foods.

Using an MRI scanner, the team found those who received inulin-propionate ester showed less activity in the reward regions of their brain while looking at high-calorie foods.



These brain regions contribute to food cravings. The volunteers reportedly found the high-calorie foods less appealing.

The researchers then conducted a second study. The participants were given a bowl of pasta with tomato sauce and were asked to eat as much as they can.

Those who received inulin-propionate ester ate 10 percent less than those who did not take the supplement. The result suggests the supplement could also help people eat fewer calories.

“Our previous findings showed that people who ate this ingredient gained less weight – but we did not know why,” said lead researcher Gary Frost. “This study is filling in a missing bit of the jigsaw – and shows that this supplement can decrease activity in brain areas associated with food reward at the same time as reducing the amount of food they eat.”

However, the researchers noted the current study involves only a small number of participants. They said further studies with larger population are needed to see how much inulin-propionate ester would cut obesity risk.