Last week I gave an overview on weight loss and how certain prebiotics likely are an important part of any weight loss program. As noted, a prebiotic is a special type of plant fiber that selectively promotes the very best bacteria in the gut to grow and in so doing provide a wide range of health benefits. This talk will focus on a newly emerging knowledge on how some prebiotics have an effect on the body outside those that occur with the good bacteria in the lower gut.
The “Hunger Hormone” in the Stomach
There is a hunger hormone that is made in the wall of the stomach. Its technical name is ghrelin (the h is silent), but it basically is a hunger hormone. When the stomach is empty, this hunger hormone is produced and enters the blood stream. It is carried to the brain where it exerts a feeling of hunger.
It is not quite this simple, though. Some of this hormone is made in a certain part of the brain and it has an effect on some nerve cells and even the production of growth hormone. It is also made in the pancreas. However, for those with a weight problem, the major point to remember is that the hunger hormone is made in the stomach and makes you want to get food and eat it.
The “Fullness Hormone” in the Small Bowel
Yes, there is a hormone that gets out into the blood that gives you the sensation of fullness. In fact there are several different fullness hormones with technical names like leptin and GLP 1. The main fullness hormone is made in the wall of the lower small bowel. As food moves through this area of the gut, this fullness hormone is manufactured and released into the blood stream. Here again, the blood is carried to the brain where a sensation of fullness is given. Generally you stop eating at this point.
Summary of the Appetite Hormones
- The hunger hormone is made in the wall of the stomach and released when the stomach is empty.
- The fullness hormone is made in the wall of the lower bowel and is released when food enters this part of the gut.
Prebiotics and the Gut Hormones
It has come as a surprise that prebiotics might have an effect on these hormones. After all, prebiotics are plant fibers that are not digested by the small bowel but are fermented by the good bacteria in the colon. How could these simple plant fibers have such an effect? These are questions that intrigue researchers who are in full pursuit of the answer to this and other related questions. What can not be questioned anymore is the fact that certain of these prebiotics drive these hormones in the desired direction (link #1 below). In fact, when the formula in our Prebiotin is taken 8 grams twice a day before breakfast and lunch, the energy intake of these individuals dropped a significant 6%. This was just reported at the conference of the European Society of Gastroenterology in the spring of 2011.
One Thing More
Another medical study (link #2 below) has shown even more clearly what happens when our Prebiotin formula was taken 8 grams twice a day in any liquid. The senses of hunger and satiety or fullness was measured 3 hours after ingestion. A very clear sense of fullness was seen in those taking the prebiotic. This was statistically significant. In addition, the meaurement of the appetite hormones for satiety or fullness in the blood rose significantly. So, this is one more piece of evidence that prebiotics can have a positive role to play in weight loss.
Related Links
1) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20540826
