Pine Nut Oil As Appetite Suppressant
Pine nuts, which are actually seeds, not nuts, have been known since before ancient Greek and Roman times. According to a recent study, polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) derived from pine nuts may help to suppress appetite. In lab studies, Dutch researchers found that the fatty acids in Korean pine nuts initiate the release of an appetite-suppressing hormone called cholecystokinin (CCK). The Dutch researchers published their findings in Experimental Biology 2006.
Eigtheen overweight women were given gel capsules containing either pine nut oil or an olive oil placebo. The women had to take the capsules before eating a meal of carbohydrates. Over four hours, the researchers examined the women’s levels of appetite related hormones cholecystokinin CCK and glucagon-like peptide 1 GLP-1. At the same time, the women were asked to rate their appetite on the same schedule.
The greatest effect was observed after just 30 minutes. The women who had taken the pine nut capsules reported less appetite and showed higher levels of CCK and GLP-1 than the women who had taken the olive oil placebo.
It is concluded that the fatty acids in pine nuts seem to work as an effective appetite suppressant.