"We hit on the idea of a chewing gum because obese people like chewing"

The title of this post sounds like a poor joke, to be sure, but it's a quote from a BBC article that discusses an appetite-suppressing chewing gum. Chewing gum can reduce one's appetite? Preposterous?

Perhaps not. Apparently, the human body produces a hormone, pancreatic polypeptide, that helps to control appetite. This hormone is produced after each meal, but some people have more, or less, of this hormone. And here's the kicker: becoming overweight actually reduces the amount of the hormone that is produced in an individual.

Upon reading this, I couldn't help but think of type II diabetes. Not everyone who develops type II is overweight; however, becoming overweight is a huge risk factor for the onset of type II. And nearly every doctor will tell their patients that to fight type II, you should get drop weight and get rid of as much abdominal fat as possible.

Apparently, according to the article, becoming overweight can hormonally predispose you...to becoming more overweight.

The good news is that even moderate doses of pancreatic polypeptide can help with satiety and decrease food consumption, leading to weight loss. The delivery system? Chewing gum.

Chewing gum to reduce appetite