Compound in spinach may help people feel "fuller" and eat less

Mom was right when she said to eat spinach to be healthier and now researchers in Sweden find an extract from the green plants may make people thinner.
Professor Charlotte Erlanson-Albertsson at Lund University in Sweden said thylakoid, a compound in spinach and other green leaves, slows down food digestion and therefore makes people feel fuller.

How it works
Erlanson-Albertsson and colleagues said thylakoids are believed to slow down fat digestion, meaning the whole intestine has time to get involved. Once food enters the distal intestine, satiety hormones are released and sent up to the brain, telling people they are full. However, processed food tends to only utilize the upper intestine, so the key hormones are not released.
"I like to say our intestines are unemployed," Erlanson-Albertsson said in a statement.

Thylakoids are essentially small pouches located in the chloroplasts of green leaves that have the ability to trigger satiety signals in us. However, eating spinach fresh as is doesn’t necessarily release the thylakoids. First, it must be crushed, filtrated, and centrifuged, which would release the compounds from the cells, turning it into a natural water extract of sorts. "Our bodies can't break it down from fresh spinach directly," the university said. It may be time to make some spinach smoothies --find a recipe below.

The findings
In her research, Erlanson-Albertsson discovered that when humans were given a shot of the spinach water extract in the morning, they experienced less hunger and fewer food cravings throughout the day. The participants who received the shot had higher satiety hormones in their blood, in addition to more stable blood glucose levels.
In another Swedish study conducted by Dr. Rickard Kohnke at the Department of Experimental Medicine at Lund University, eleven health participants were given a high-fat meal. Some of the pesto sandwiches contained thylakoids, and some did not. According to the results, the people who had eaten the pesto sandwiches containing thylakoids showed a reduction in ghrelin, which is an appetite signaling hormone. There was also an increase in leptin, another satiety signal, and lower insulin levels. What this showed was that thylakoids were able to suppress people’s appetites for longer, which could be useful for those who are trying to lose weight while battling constant hunger pangs.

Popeye’s super-food
Erlanson-Albertsson said the powerful effect of thylakoids couldn't be traced to just one active ingredient. "It contains hundreds of substances -- galactolipids, proteins, vitamin A, E, K, antioxidants, beta-carotene, lutein, and so on," she said.

Interestingly enough, though Popeye made healthy foods popular and spinach sales rise, spinach nutrition facts - based off during the early 1900s - were not entirely accurate. In the late 1800s, a German chemist by the name of Erich von Wolf incorrectly wrote down the amount of iron in spinach in his notes. He recorded that spinach had 35 milligrams of iron per 100-gram serving, when it really only has 3.5 milligrams. This tiny decimal misplacement led to the belief that spinach was the top super-food for almost 70 years, and it’s how Popeye’s favorite food came to be.
Even though the amount of iron spinach contains is much lower than previously believed, it’s still highly rich in antioxidants and nutrients. One cup of spinach contains only 27 calories, but it is made up of protein, calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, vitamin A, and folate. Magnesium assists in maintaining heart rhythm, a solid immune system, and blood pressure along with muscle and nerve function. Spinach has also been shown to lower blood pressure, improve bone health as well as skin and hair.


Need an idea for a low-calorie smoothie to curb hunger pangs? Here's a delicious one...

Berry Spinach Smoothie Recipe

Makes 1 serving

Ingredients

• 2 cups spinach leaves
• 3/4 cup water or milk (unsweetened almond milk, rice milk, dairy, etc)
• 1/2 cup frozen berries
• 1 banana

Directions
Blend together spinach and water until all the spinach is thoroughly blended. (an important step so you don’t get spinach chunks in your smoothie). Next add remaining ingredients and blend until smooth and creamy.

Nutrition facts per serving: 140 calories, 0 g total fat, 0 g saturated fat, 50 mg sodium, 35 g total carbohydrates, 6 g fiber, 3 g protein



Sources: http://www.lunduniversity.lu.se/, http://www.theaustralian.com.au/, http://www.medicaldaily.com/, http://www.upi.com/Health_News/, http://reneeclerkin.com/