Scent and Weight Loss

Scent and your eating habits are very closely related! Many studies have shown the affects of fragrance with hunger, seratonin levels, and quantity of food you eat.

Olive Oil – a crown jewel of the Mediterranean diet –helps?
A study done by the German Research Center for food chemistry did such a study. “The research found that compared to other oils and fats, extra virgin olive oil was more likely to increase a person’s feelings of satiety after a meal. But another phase of the study showed that just imparting the scent of olive oil to food – by adding an aromatic extract – reduced the amount of calories people in the study consumed and improved their blood sugar response.”

In a study of 120 people “were split into two groups that were given zero-fat yogurt. In one of the groups, the yogurt was mixed with an aroma extract that imparted the scent of olive oil without adding any fat.”

“Those who ate the plain yogurt showed a drop in serotonin levels and reported less satiation after eating it. They also did not cut back on other calories to compensate; instead, their intake increased an average of 176 calories a day. The group eating the olive-oil flavored yogurt, meanwhile, reduced their calories from other foods and showed better responses when given glucose tolerance tests, which measure blood sugar control. Abrupt swings in blood sugar are part of what drives hunger and satiation.”

“Previous research has shown that manipulating the aroma of certain foods can influence the amount of them that people choose to eat. Intensifying the smell and flavor of a dessert, for example, can prompt people to take smaller bites.” Read the study click here.

“The average human nose recognizes 10,000 scents. And while some of them do nothing to help you stay healthy—are those cookies we smell?—many familiar fragrances have surprising benefits. Grapefruit - Researchers at Osaka University in Japan found that exposing rats to the scent of grapefruit oil for 15-minute intervals, three times a week helped reduce not only their appetite, but their weight. Inhale this fresh citrus scent and dial back the portion of your next meal.

Battle temptation with a whiff of your favorite fruitor peppermint. In a study at the Smell & Taste Treatment and Research Foundation in Chicago, overweight people smelled banana, green apple, and peppermint when they felt a craving—and lost more weight than the nonsniffers.”

Your nose is a powerful! Sniff to success!

Information provided by the NYtimes and Fitbie.