Optimal Health Medical Blog

The Blog of Dr. Henry Sobo

Spinach Extract Decreases Cravings, Helps Weight Loss

Spinach Extract Decreases Cravings, Helps Weight Loss

According to research done at Lund University in Sweden, study participants who started the day with a green drink containing a spinach extract experienced less hunger, and increased their weight loss over a three months period. Professor Charlotte Erlanson-Albertsson says, “Our analyses shows that having a drink containing thylakoids (in spinach extract fiber) before breakfast reduces cravings and keeps you feeling more satisfied all day.”

What the study documented was the reduction of what is called “hedonic hunger”. Hedonic hunger is the craving many people have for foods such as sweets and other fast foods.

They find that the spinach extract slows down the digestive process. This gives the intestines the time to release hormonal signals that our brains experience as satisfaction of hunger. Processed and ‘fast foods” are broken down so quickly that the intestines do not have time to send the proper hormone signals, and instead we experience cravings for even more because we are not satisfied.

In their study of thirty eight overweight women, the day began with a green drink. Half of the study participants had spinach extract added to their green drink. The other half were given a placebo. As for the diet they were told to follow, they were only told to eat a balanced diet of three meals per day. After three months those who were given the spinach extract lost more weight than the placebo group. It was reported that those who had the spinach extract in their green drink found it easier to stick with three meals a day without extra snacking, …” and they did not experience any cravings,” said researcher Erlanson-Albertsson.

This study also provides more evidence that eating foods that are digested more slowly, such as fiber rich vegetables, causes less hunger and is an essential element in common sense weight control.

For the best care in Physician Supervised Weight Reduction call the office of Henry C. Sobo,MD at 203-348-8805 or write to [email protected]

Leave a Reply