In the midst of the obesity epidemic that's taking the Western world by storm, scientists spend more and more time in labs creating experiments that might improve the way people in countries like the United States eat; and now, the latest findings point out that, in obesity, potato extract might be hiding a new clue.
The wave of obesity is a major health concern in countries like the United States, Mexico and the United Kingdom, so it's become a priority for researchers to find ways to control this disease: and it seems that obesity's potato extract qualities might be a turn in the right direction.
According to Science Daily, the new findings regarding obesity and potato extract come from a study from Canada's McGill University, entitled "Extract of Irish potatoes (Solanum tuberosumL.) decreases body weight gain and adiposity and improves glucose control in the mouse model of diet-induced obesity" and published in the latest issue of Molecular Nutrition & Food Research.
In the research paper, scientists gave mice an unhealthy diet over the course of 10 weeks, inducing obesity for the rodents. Mice that were simply fed fat-inducing foods put on around 16 grams (starting out at 25); however, the discovery regarding obesity and potato extracts happened as mice that were also fed the extract gained less weight altogether, with a total of only about 7 grams more than when they'd first started out.
According to Business Standard, the obesity and potato extract relation comes due to polyphenols, which is a chemical component that can be found in several of the fruits and vegetables that we eat, including potatoes.
Though it has been documented that mice's bodies function similarly to humans' in that aspect, trials with human subjects will be necessary before taking any further steps. However, if the theory applies to humans as well, it could potentially mean the creation of medication that will help people suffering from obesity to control their weight gain.
