Don’t trick the body, teach smart eating instead

What people won’t do for themselves, scientists are trying to do for them. A team led by food expert Peter Wilde at the Institute of Food Research in Norwich, England, is experimenting with modified foods that trick the body into feeling full. Their aim: slow the digestive system to trigger a signal that suppresses appetite, and make it easier for people to diet, according to a recent Associated Press account. With research in its early stages, some in the medical community encourage this as a potentially good strategy to help combat our growing obesity epidemic. So far, science’s range of approaches to help beat back fat has been wide and filled with open questions. Chemical injections, implantable devices and gastric bypass surgery are all invasive. In a different example, Frito-Lay began to use Procter & Gamble’s olean (the fat replacer known as olestra) in its Wow! potato chips a decade ago. It inhibited the body’s absorption of certain vitamins and increased the odds of experiencing cramps, diarrhea, bleeding, stained underwear or incontinence, said The Center for Science in the Public Interest.

What people won’t do for themselves, scientists are trying to do for them.

A team led by food expert Peter Wilde at the Institute of Food Research in Norwich, England, is experimenting with modified foods that trick the body into feeling full. Their aim: slow the digestive system to trigger a signal that suppresses appetite, and make it easier for people to diet, according to a recent Associated Press account.

With research in its early stages, some in the medical community encourage this as a potentially good strategy to help combat our growing obesity epidemic. So far, science’s range of approaches to help beat back fat has been wide and filled with open questions.

Chemical injections, implantable devices and gastric bypass surgery are all  invasive. In a different example, Frito-Lay began to use Procter & Gamble’s olean (the fat replacer known as olestra) in its Wow! potato chips a decade ago. It inhibited the body’s absorption of certain vitamins and increased the odds of experiencing cramps, diarrhea, bleeding, stained underwear or incontinence, said The Center for Science in the Public Interest. 

If that’s not a sign of a body rebelling to trickery, what is?

Wilde told AP his technique should work with any foods that contain fat, among them dairy, pre-cooked sauces, breads and pastries, and that taste would probably not be affected.

While Supermarket Guru applauds scientific achievement, we feel that tricking the body through any measure could ultimately pose danger. At the very least, this kind of ‘solution’ lets people think they could possibly eat with impunity, when the risk is always there that the body will adapt to and reject unnatural steps taken in the cause of losing weight.  It’s far smarter, we believe, to eat well ourselves and encourage consumers to grow up already and adopt more intelligent food consumption practices.