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By Kirsten Houmann, Ivanhoe Health Correspondent
ORLANDO, Fla. (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Its common knowledge that a diet high in fat can lead to weight gain -- but new research reveals the process by which unsaturated, or good fats, may actually aid in weight loss.
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A recent University of California, Irvine, study shows when oleic acid, a component of healthy unsaturated fats like those found in olive oil, enters the small intestine, a hormone is released that ultimately creates a feeling of fullness. This feeling can fight off one important cause of overeating -- hunger pangs.
People already recognize the health benefits of unsaturated fatty acids, and this is just an additional health benefit -- these nutrients produced delaying hunger, study author Daniele Piomelli, Ph.D., Pharm.D., a professor of pharmacology at the University of California, Irvine, told Ivanhoe.
This discovery may help researchers develop drugs to boost levels or block breakdown of the hormone, called OEA, to manually fend off feelings of hunger. The discovery may also help experts determine the exact balance of fat and protein needed to best control hunger.
One can design strategies to get a better bang for your buck, so if you eat the same amount of calories, you can design strategies whereby you will get greater control of the amount of food you eat in each individual meal as well as in delaying the hunger pangs after a meal, Dr. Piomelli said.
SOURCE: Ivanhoe interview with Daniele Piomelli, Ph.D., Pharm.D.;Cell Metabolism, 2008;8:281-288
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