The bacteria that controls the hunger-A new twist to satiety and hunger in humans.

Thousands of words have been written about the importance of consuming a balanced diet in moderate quantities and many workshops have taken place to impress upon people the need to exercise regularly for maintaining good health. Unfortunately consumers do not seem to be paying too much attention to these cautionary advices as evidenced by the gross indiscipline seen among the consumers regarding their choice of foods. With massive promotion of nutrient light and calorie rich junk foods by the industry, consumers are tempted to go in for foods which are cheap, tasty and satisfying ignoring costlier options like fruits, vegetables, whole grains based products and others. The result is the galloping trend of uncontrolled weight gains often tending to cross the obesity rubicon! Who is to be faulted for this population degeneration-the industry, government or the consumer.? The answer depends on who is going to reply! The industry says that consumer must do necessary exercise to maintain good health, government has not much of an opinion on this and the consumer cannot decide what to eat. With sugary and salty foods now being bracketed with tobacco and alcohol as addictive substances, the onus seems to be on the consumer to shun these types of foods for their own good. But how can they do this unless there is strong will which cannot be expected from every body. Now comes another twist to this food addiction story narrated by some scientists who opine that it is actually the gut bacterial composition that determines the hunger and decision to eat how much. Read further below to get a better idea about the new postulations made by them.   

"Gut microbes could be the one responsible for telling people that dinner is done. Researchers of a new study have found chemical clues suggesting that when certain bacteria in the stomach already had enough to eat, they inform the brain it is time to push away the plate. In animal experiments, researchers found evidence suggesting that certain microbes in the body have a way of letting the brain know they have had enough nutrients. The signals they send also appear to have the ability to turn on and off the hunger of their host. For the new study published in Cell Metabolism, Serguei Fetissov, from Rouen University in France, and colleagues looked at the proteins produced by the E.coli bacteria, which are prevalent in the human gut, and noticed that about 20 minutes after feeding and multiplying in number, the bacteria switch from producing a set of proteins to another. When Fetissov and colleagues injected small doses of the post-meal proteins into rodents, they noticed that they reduced their food intake regardless if they were previously fed or kept hungry. Further analysis likewise revealed that one protein stimulated the release of a hormone that play a role in satiety.  "Our study shows that bacterial proteins from E. coli can be involved in the same molecular pathways that are used by the body to signal satiety, and now we need to know how an altered gut microbiome can affect this physiology," Fetissov said. Once they are provided with nutrients, the bacteria were found to produce more or less a billion more of their kind. Interestingly, they stop growing after producing about one billion and then start producing new proteins that inhibit the effect of appetite. The researchers said that E.coli could be hijacking a molecular pathway to produce signals that make animals feel full. By doing so, the bacteria also find a way to self-regulate their populations. The findings of the study show the microbes have a crucial role in the physiology of appetite and may even help people who suffer from eating disorders. "These data show that bacterial proteins produced after nutrient-induced E. coli growth may signal meal termination," the researchers wrote. "Continuous exposure to E. coli proteins may influence long-term meal pattern."

E.coli is a microorganism not liked by the hygiene scientists and its presence in any food is taken as indication of fecal contamination. This surmise is based on the fact that there are over 500 species of microorganisms which inhabit the human gut. Naturally among these colony of bugs there could be good ones as well pathogens depending on the source of fecal contamination. Thus E.coli is more known as a marker microbe for the microbiological quality of any food. However the revelation by the French scientists that it may be playing a role in controlling the hunger is indeed startling and by this score it deserves our respect. There may be significant implications of these findings for future research on obesity control. A natural question that arises in this context is whether inclusion of favorable nutrients of E.coli in human diet can bring in satiety faster and there fore lesser intake of food? This is a gray area requiring further studies. Of course the results of the animal experiments itself need not be applicable to humans in all cases and naturally the research opens up wide vistas for further studies in the coming years. If confirmed by human trials, there is even the possibility of growing E.coli under controlled conditions for producing the typical protein that is implicated in satiety and including the same in the diet for creating quicker satiety.

V.H.POTTY

http://vhpotty.blogspot.com
http://foodtechupdates.blogspot.com

EATING LESS AND LIVING LONG-HOW CAN THIS BE POSSIBLE?

It is a universal principle in health science that more food one eats higher will be the chance to be over weight and eventually becoming obese. The body requirement for energy comes from carbohydrates and fat to a large extent though proteins also do contribute. 2000-3000 kC energy need is correlated to the basal metabolism and the extent of physical work carried out in a day and any thing surplus is channeled to fat deposits in different parts of the body. If this is so why do human being splurge on food with no self control? One explanation is that good food is a food addictive too and under certain circumstances the control of food intake is just not possible. if recent reports are to be believed, slow eating can significantly reduce food consumption and if calorie intake is slowed down, the potential for long living is enhanced. Here is a take on this new perception proven by scientific studies.  

"It may seem a little obvious, but one way to eat less is to take smaller bites. Researchers from the Netherlands published a study Wednesday in the journal Plos One that looked at what happened when 53 people ate soup, taking various size sips – when they were focused and when they were distracted. People who took small bites consumed about 30% less than those who took big sips and those who decided the size of their sips. And, those who took larger sips underestimated how much they ate. "Consuming small bites rather than large bites involves more bites for consumption of the same amount of food. Due to a relatively higher number of bites … small bites may lead to lower food intake," the researchers wrote. It's also possible, they said, that lower intake results from diners' beliefs about how much they are eating. "These findings stress the importance of cognitive factors on satiation," they said. So if you think you are full, that makes a difference. But if a diner's attention is distracted, those factors are also affected, and several studies have shown that people eat more while they are distracted by TV or other things".

The classical studies with animals have proved that a limited calorie diet prolonged life very significantly though how the body can meet its daily calorie needs under such a condition is still a mystery. There are many gray areas in health and nutrition science and the complexity of human body is still not understood completely. What is known unambiguously is that excess food can definitely be injurious causing a host of disorders, some of which can be debilitating and even fatal. The slow eating regime makes sense because one is giving sufficient time to the body to synchronize satiety control and the hormonal signaling system. Mechanical eating without focusing on the act of eating can obviously lead to consuming more food than what is really required. Probably slow eating habit must be inculcated among children at very early stages of life and hurrying mothers valuing their time more than the interest of the child are not helping their kids in the long run. Whether lunch or dinner a family must keep aside a minimum time for sitting together and enjoying the meal in a relaxed way!

V.H.POTTY
http://vhpotty.blogspot.com/
http://foodtechupdates.blogspot.com

"FOOLING" THE BRAIN-THE NEW "SATIETY" APPROACH

How about feeling full after eating a food which is actually not in sufficient quantities necessary to evoke that feeling? According to a group of scientists in the Netherlands feeling of satiety can be induced by modifying food structures such a way that the food stays in the mouth for longer time generating a complex set of aromas that help to stimulate the areas in the brain related to hunger and satiety. While in case of liquid foods viscosity can be increased to achieve the effect, solid foods should be made more chewable for the same effect. These findings have significance in the current fight against the obesity epidemic confronting mankind. Probably a product like chewing gum should be a right medium to carry the identified aromas which is released slowly and ensure satiety.

"Scientists at an independent food-research firm in the Netherlands say they can help create food and drink with aromas that fool your body into thinking you're full. Researcher Rianne Ruijschop and her team have found a way to enhance the familiar aromas in food enough to activate areas of the brain related to a full-stomach feeling".

Past efforts were directed at quenching hunger stimuli through means other than eating, focus being on stomach and after effects of eating. What is surprising is that the present understanding of food flavors stimulating hunger is contradicted by the new study. Good flavors generated during cooking in restaurants and bakeries invariably attract customers boosting the business. Further studies on the role of aromas on hunger and satiety are required to bring more clarity to the situation.

V.H.POTTY

http://vhpotty.blogspot.com/
http://foodtechupdates.blogspot.com