Obesity and the American breakfast
August 29th, 2007 by admin
American food habits are seldom regarded as healthy. In fact, the alarming increase in obesity in the US population (by far on of the highest in the world) is connected with the elevated fat content of many of the typical foods consumed in America, especially at breakfast. Many Americans recognize this fact and are slowly switching to healthier ways to start their day, but many more refuse to change these long-established food habits.
But health companies are looking into more efficient ways to reduce fat intake than convincing people not to eat so many fried eggs or sausages.
Among the most recent developments of the weight loss industry is a type of substances called fat binders. These have the ability to ‘capture’ fat molecules in the stomach and intestine, preventing from being absorbed by the body. One of the most popular is Chitosan, which is obtained from certain shrimp. Chitosan is widely sold, but its effectiveness has not being scientifically assessed. Some labs are now focusing their efforts on a more promising product. It has been found that extracts of the desert plant Opuntia ficus is effective in binding ingested fat and also has appetite suppressant properties. The fibre complex from Opuntia ficus is being commercialized under the name of Proactol.
The difference between this and other fat binders is that Proactol has been subject to many rigorous clinical trials that support the claims made by the company. The manufacturer claims that Proactol is the only product in its kind whose effectiveness has been scientifically proven and medically backed.
And talking about breakfast, one of the studies conducted by the InQpharm laboratory aimed to test the ability of Proactol to deal with a real, fat-rich American breakfast. In their own words, “associated with an American breakfast intake, the patented fibre complex of Opuntia ficus indica absorbs about 23% of total fatty acids compared to a control “
Detailed information about the Opuntia extract can be found in the Weightloss Research website. For inquiries about Proactol consult their website.
This entry was posted on Wednesday, August 29th, 2007 at 4:11 pm and is filed under Weightloss, Fitness, General health, Obesity, Nutrition. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
