Olive Oil May Help You Eat
Less
March 18, 2013
By
Elena Paravantes
Olive
Oil Times Health Editor | Reporting from Athens
Olive
oil is known for many of its health benefits, but
new research shows that it may even help in weight loss. A study from the
Technical University of Munich showed that fats in general, but olive oil in
particular, increases feelings of fullness which may result in consuming less
calories overall.
Fat is necessary in the diet not only
for its essential fatty acids and for the absorption of fat soluble vitamins,
but also to produce feelings of satiety. This is one of the reasons many
individuals have a difficult time adhering to low fat diets as they may not
feel full, so they eat more carbohydrates or other foods in order to
compensate.
Work groups at the Technical
University of Munich (TUM) and the University of Vienna studied four different
fats and oils: Lard, butterfat, rapeseed oil (canola) and olive oil.
Participants received 500 grams (18 ounces) of low-fat yoghurt enriched with
one of the four fats or oils every day as a supplement to their normal diet for
a period of 3 months.
According to Prof. Peter Schieberle,
Head of the TUM Chair of Food Chemistry and Director of the German Research
Center for Food Chemistry, olive oil had the biggest satiety effect. “The olive
oil group showed a higher concentration of the satiety hormone serotonin in
their blood and these participants also reported that they found the olive oil
yogurt very filling,” Schieberle said.
During the study period, no member of
the olive oil group gained weight or saw an increase in their body fat percentage.
The
researchers believe that the aroma compounds of the olive oil may play a role and focused on that in
the second part of the study. Participants were either given one yogurt with
olive oil aroma extracts or plain yogurt. The olive oil group’s calorie intake
remained the same, but the control group had been consuming 176 extra calories
a day even though both yogurts had the same calories. It was noted in the study
that the olive oil aroma group adapted their eating habits – but the control
group participants were not able to do the same and they also found that in comparison
to the aroma group, the control group had less of the satiety hormone serotonin
in their blood.
This is not the first time satiety
and olive oil have been studied. A University of California study had shown
that oleic acid (a fatty acid abundant in olive oil), may prolong feelings of
fullness between meals.
Any type of fat provides satiety, however it appears
that olive oil due to a number of factors may be more effective, and with its
additional health benefits it can be the ideal fat to be used in the diet. It
is important to note though that while olive oil may make you feel full longer,
it needs to be used judiciously in order to achieve a balanced calorie intake.
Sources:
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