It is widely accepted that weight loss and appetite control are related. Generally, a person will lose weight if they burn more calories than they eat. However, restricting calories (the typical method of dieting,) isn’t an easy method to lose weight for most people because it results in feeling hungry – and being hungry makes it easy to stray from the diet by responding to your body’s needs. A recent study concluded that eating a cup of raisins, ideally coupled with an increase in physical activity, resulted in several important health benefits, among them helping to control appetite by altering hormones that are responsible for feelings of hunger. As a result of this physiological change, the results suggest that eating raisins may be an “effective intervention to promote weight control.”
Raisin Nutrition, Weight Loss Research
According to the USDA Raisin Nutritional Factsheet, one serving of raisins is ¼ cup. One serving of raisins contains 120 calories, 5 mg Sodium, 18 g Carbs, and 1 g of Protein. The above serving of raisins also contains Calcium, Vitamin C and Iron. Researchers Michael J. Puglisi, Giesella Mutungi, Pierre J. Brun, Mary M. McGrane, Cherise Labonte, Jeff S. Volek, and Maria Luz Fernandez of University of Connecticut at Storrs wanted to learn how risks of Cardio-Vascular Disease were affected by a dietary change of eating a cup of raisins per day. (One cup of raisins is equivalent to 4 USDA servings of raisins per day). The study “Raisins and walking alter appetite hormones and plasma lipids by modifications in lipoprotein metabolism and up-regulation of the low-density lipoprotein receptor” appears in the Journal Metabolism Clinical and Experimental. While the researchers’ primary intent was to study the raisins’ affect on risk factors of Cardio-Vascular Disease (“CVD”), they noted that obesity is a risk factor for developing CVD, and that lifestyle changes to reduce weight, such as changing diet and/ or exercising more, may be helpful to lower the risk of CVD. One of the findings reported was that eating raisins has a beneficial appetite-controlling effect. If this is in fact so, raisins may be helpful in maintaining healthy weight or in losing weight. According to the study, a cup of raisins may be effective in controlling appetite because of its fiber content, and its positive affect on a hormone that signals the body to stop eating and/ or to eat less (the feelings of “satiation” and “satiety.”) While the study also involved a moderate increase in walking, the test groups in the study ate a cup of raisins per day, while the control groups did not. The blood tests for the test groups confirmed increased blood concentration of a hormone called leptin, which is believed to result in increased satiation and satiety (or the signals to the body to eat less, or to eat less frequently).
Supporting Research
These two sources of appetite control seem to be supported by other research. In the 2000 paper “Dietary Fiber and Energy Regulation,” published in the Journal of Nutrition, Britt Burton-Freedman describes the physical properties of dietary fiber. Citing several other studies, Burton-Freeman writes that “dietary fiber has the ability to … influence satiation.” The bulk-adding quality of dietary fiber gives it the ability to fill up your stomach, and as a result of that feeling, you may eat less food – meaning fewer calories. Additionally, fiber seems to prolong the movement of food through the gastro-intestinal tract, which is a good thing, because the “small intestine is the primary site for fat-induced satiety.” That basically means that slowing down the movement of food through the small intestine allows one to feel full longer. The USDA recommends 25-30 g of fiber for a normal, healthy adult. For kids, the same publication recommends 10 + the child’s age formula, so the USDA advice for an 8-year-old would be 10 + 8 = 18 g. Read more about fiber content in fruit, fiber content in vegetables, and fiber content in pasta, cereals and grains.
Increase in Leptin Levels
Through blood tests, the Puglisi study observed an increase in leptin in the the raisin-eating groups. There is supporting research on this topic as well. In a paper titled “The Role of Leptin in Human Physiology and Pathophysiology” published in Physiological Research Journal, R. Janečková writes that “leptin provides the brain with information on the fat stores of the body,” and that [an increase in] “leptin decreases appetite and increases metabolic rate.” So, if there is more leptin in the bloodstream, the body automatically tries to suppress appetite and to increase the rate at which it burns energy (from food and fat). And, Dieter Chapelot, Roberte Aubert et al. published a study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition that also supports the idea that levels of leptin in the blood affects the amount of food consumed. So, there does seem to be corroborating information that an increase in leptin (that the Puglisi study attributes to the consumption of a cup of raisins), may be effective in reducing appetite.
Conclusions on Raisins and Appetite Control
It appears that a cup of raisins could be effective in controlling appetite because of its fiber content and because it seems to alter leptin levels. Since controlling the quantity of food is typically prescribed as one of the ways to lose weight, dieters frequently resort to commercial appetite suppressant pills. This research suggests that a natural alternative may be available. But remember, dieting and exercise should be based on common sense and good advice from your healthcare professional. While the results in this study suggest that raisins play a useful role in appetite control, it would probably not be helpful to just eat a lot of raisins (after all, a cup of raisins is almost 500 calories, and a good amount of fruit sugar). In the Puglisi study, there was a Dietician present to advise the researchers and the study groups on nutrition. So, as always, please involve your healthcare professional, and consider his or her advice in your decision to start any diet or exercise program.
Additional Resources
Food and Nutrition on 20BMI.com
Increasing Metabolism for Weight Loss on 20BMI.com
Copyright © 2009, 2BMI.com, LLC. All Rights reserved.