Aroma's In The Kitchen Aid in Weight Loss- Scientifically Proven!

Did you know that our noses can detect up to 10 000 different scents?! That's a lot!

What if some of these scents could aid in weight loss or increase cognitive function? This topic profoundly interests me, and I just had to see if there was any scientific backing.

PEPPERMINT was one of the first natural ingredients that was tested for weight loss in association with aroma. The best study I came across was conducted at the Wheeling Jesuit University in Wheeling, West Virginia by Bryan Raudenbush. 

Bryan's study had 40 participants (large enough group to avoid bias) and asked them to sniff peppermint every two hours for five days. In the remaining five days a placebo was given to them. I am guessing the placebo was a scent very similar to peppermint, but lacked the distinct chemical makeup to be considered "peppermint". The results were astounding. Overall, in the week that the participants sniffed peppermint, a total of 1,800 less calories were consumed.

My question, is "don't people become accustom to these smells over time and they have less of an effect?" Infact, Mark I. Friedman, associate director of Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia, said just that in the New York Times. Specifically he said "if you constantly smelled something you would adapt to the odor, and you wouldn’t smell it anymore.”

“A large part of the reason that you feel full is your brain interpreting that you’ve smelled it and tasted it,” said Dr. Hirsch, a neurologist, psychiatrist and the founder of the Smell and Taste Treatment and Research Foundation in Chicago.  

GRAPEFRUIT has also been extremely popular over the years for people trying to loose weight... AND now, there is scientific evidence that it does work. Researchers at Vanderbilt University have conducted a study investigating the effects of grapefruit on weight loss when the fruit is consumed as a “preload” before a meal. Grapefruit was selected for the study because of its reputation for facilitating weight loss. The study revealed that grapefruit, whether consumed in a solid or liquid form, demonstrated a measurable weight loss effect in participants, as well as providing other benefits.

Another GRAPEFRUIT study I found was done by researchers at the Department of Nutrition and Metabolic Research in La Jolla, California. Their patients after a 12 week diet of grapefruit had lost on average ~1.5 kg. There was also a "significant reduction in 2-hour post-glucose insulin level in the grapefruit group compared with placebo". Most importantly, "half of a fresh grapefruit eaten before meals was associated with significant weight loss." 

For more information on this study go to pubmed. 

If this isn't enough, I found another study conducted by the American Botanical Council and 3 PhD's which also proves that having grapefruit before a meal induces great weight loss. Here is the link.

The New York Times recently even wrote an article on scents and weight loss, which can be found here. 

So if you want to loose a few extra pounds, make sure to have a grapefruit before a meal and grow fresh peppermint in your garden for easy access to it's refreshing aroma...and for great weight loss results of course!

Until next time,

Sara Ocean, MASc.