Researchers of a new study found that oatmeal is more effective in fighting obesity through appetite control than ready-to-eat breakfast cereals (RTEC).
Obesity is a complex health disorder and dealing with it has as much to do with physical activities as one's eating habits. A healthy diet is often recommended to keep this weight disorder at bay. Recommended foods include vegetables, fruits, juices, oats and cereals. In order to test the effectiveness of these food items on appetite control, a group of researchers compared the health effects of two highly recommended fat-free food items - oatmeal and ready-to-eat breakfast cereals (RTEC), according to a press release.
For the study, researchers conducted a two day test on 48 healthy adults aged 18 and above. On one day, the participants were given oatmeal for breakfast and on the other day they had ready-to-eat breakfast cereals. Satisfaction reports were then collected over fours after eating the breakfast. Using visual analogue scale (VAS) ratings, participants were asked to rate the level of hunger, fullness, stomach fullness, hedonic "satisfaction," and desire to eat. In addition, each breakfast treatment was run through physiochemical testing of β-glucan characterization, in vitro starch digestion kinetics and viscosity.
Researchers concluded that "the oatmeal breakfast resulted in a greater increase in perceptions of fullness and a greater decrease in perceptions of hunger, desire to eat, and prospective intake in the 4-hour period postprandial when compared with the RTEC." However, the rating of satisfaction didn't differ significantly between the two food items.
In a very recent study, researchers also found that obesity reshapes our sense of taste by influencing how our tongue reacts to food. This way, we tend to taste flavors less, which increases our craving for more food, adding to our weight woes.
One in three Americans are known to be victims of obesity, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This ratio is rapidly increasing and has already seen a 20-30 percent increase in the last 30 years. Owing to these growing numbers, researchers are frantically looking for solutions and are continuously conducting studies to understand obesity better.
