by Ashleigh Feltham
Accredited Practising Dietitian and Accredited Nutritionist
The western world is an obesogenic environment with many factors working against your ability to maintain a healthy weight. While you may not have control over many of these factors there are lifestyle choices that can improve your ability to abstain from the many temptations in your everyday life. Having a diet that supports your hunger hormones, preventing the feeling of constant hunger and longer periods of satiety is a key factor in maintaining a healthy weight.
One of these lifestyle factors which support the healthy balance of your hunger hormones is to include more polyunsaturated fat in your diet, such as omega-3 fat found in Safcol Seafood. Research has shown by doing so your overall feelings of hunger are reduced and satiety levels are felt for a longer period of time.
One study looking at participants aged between 18-35 years of age, found the ratio of the types of fat in a meal and consequent feelings of hunger and satiety. The study found that those participants who regularly consumed more polyunsaturated fat in their diet like Safcol Seafood and less saturated fat had lower levels of the hunger hormone ghrelin. In addition to this, the satiety hormone peptide YY was significantly increased.
The participants were given two types of meals with an equal number of calories but different percentages of types of fat. One meal had 7% polyunsaturated fat, 15% monounsaturated fat and 13% saturated fat. The other was a meal with 21% polyunsaturated fat, 9% monounsaturated fat, and 5% saturated fat. The meal which included more polyunsaturated fat significantly reduced feelings of hunger due to a drop of ghrelin and promoted a longer feeling of satiety after the meal.
Take home message
While you cannot remove the obesogenic environment in which you live in you do have control over the type of food which you choose to eat. Selecting an overall balanced diet that includes polyunsaturated fat like Safcol Seafood can help you maintain a healthy weight by keeping your hunger hormones on your side.
Reference:
Stevenson JL, Paton CM, Cooper JA. Hunger and satiety responses to high-fat meals after high polyunsaturated fat diet: a randomized trial. Nutrition. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.nut.2017.03.008
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