MILAN - A new study has explained the interactions between the feeling of satiety, the volume of the stomach and activities of the brain. A "decisive" element iswater, which can suggest and alter our perception of stomach fullness. A group of Dutch experts from the Wageningen University, outlined the characteristics of this link, as documented on the specialised Medical Express website.
The experiment
In the study 19 individuals were involved in two separate sessions with different procedures of food consumption. Participants were asked to drink a glass of milk on an empty stomach followed by a small glass of water (50 ml), and then by a more capacious glass of water (350 ml). The magnetic resonance images (MRI) photographed in the second case an increase in the volume of the stomach and a feeling of less hunger.
A new approach
The simultaneous information obtained by the MRI images of the stomach, the sensations experienced by the individuals and by brain scans have led to verify that the activation of the area of the brain called middle-temporal iss somewhat affected by the increased amount of water consumed. This experiment is part of the European Nudge-it project, which aims to find out how simple "corrections" can promote healthier eating.
By Alessandro Michielli
