FANS of pomegranate have got another excuse to enjoy the superfood – it cuts hunger pangs, according to Scottish scientists.
Regular consumption of pomegranate extract may reduce feelings of hunger, while increasing the sensation of being full, according to the experts from Queen Margaret University in Edinburgh.
Volunteers who took a pomegranate supplement daily for three weeks reported feeling significantly less hungry during the experiment than those who had a placebo instead.
When given a plate of food as part of the trial, those who had been taking the extract ate an average of 22% less than those in the control group, but reported greater enjoyment of the food.
Volunteers took part in the double-blind study carried out by the university. Half took a pomegranate extract, containing the skin, pith and seeds, and the rest took a placebo tablet.
The pomegranate extract group felt less hungry by an average of 12%, had less desire to eat (by 21%), felt fuller (by 16%) and more satisfied (by 15%).
The research team now plans to do a further study to try to determine why the extract has this effect. One theory is that it contains polyphenols which are thought to act as an appetite suppressant.
Dr Emad al Dujaili, who led the study, said the results "may have the potential to assist in the challenge of reducing risk factors for obesity".
He said: "Pomegranates contain potent antioxidants that can neutralise free radicals better than red wine, green tea and commonly consumed juices."
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article