14 DAY TRIAL // A new report details the use of a nasal spray to cut appetite and consequently reduce caloric intake. The spray, tested by scientist Elizabeth Lawson with the Harvard Medical School and colleagues, appears to especially cut people's appetite for fatty foods.
Despite the fact that it has until now only been proven to help men eat less than they otherwise would, this innovative nasal spray might be the key to helping both guys and gals drop unwanted weight. It could even prove a worthy ally when it comes to combating obesity.
How the nasal spray works
In their study published ahead of this coming Sunday's meeting of the Endocrine Society in San Diego, US, where they will thoroughly detail their work, scientist Elizabeth Lawson and fellow researchers explain that the nasal spray that they tested is based on a hormone dubbed oxytocin.
This hormone is naturally occurring in the body and several experiments carried out over the years on laboratory animals have proven it capable of curbing appetite and subsequently reducing food intake. However, very little is known about its effect on people.
In an attempt to shed some light on this mystery, the Harvard Medical School specialist and colleagues enrolled 25 volunteers, all healthy men around the age of 27, and offered them either a single dose of the oxytocin nasal spray or a single dose of a placebo.
An hour after having received the nasal spray or the placebo, the men were invited to breakfast. While they were eating, the researchers closely monitored their food intake and noticed that, regardless of their body weight, the men exposed to oxytocin all ate less.
Specifically, it is understood that these men consumed an average 122 fewer calories. What's more, they cut their fat intake by an average 9 grams (about 0.3 ounces). Apart from this change in their appetite, the volunteers did not experience any noteworthy side effects.
Oxytocin could help fight obesity
Given the encouraging outcome of these experiments, study lead investigator Elizabeth Lawson and her colleagues argue that it might be possible to use such oxytocin nasal sprays to help people have a better control over their appetite and, in doing so, curb global obesity rates.
“Our results are really exciting,” the Harvard Medical School specialist told the press in an interview. “Further study is needed, but I think oxytocin is a promising treatment for obesity and its metabolic complications,” Elizabeth Lawson added.