Staying Thin by Engineering Food?

No more additives. We need our natural food to stay healthy and fit.

In a paper published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, researchers suggest food products can be designed to release aromatic food molecules for the purpose of discouraging overeating. The researchers hypothesize that since the sense of satiety come from smells and taste, manipulating aromas when food is chewed may send “full” signals from the olfactory nerves to the brain, and deceive the brain into feeling full.

In other words, researchers suggest engineering food using additives to prolong aromas, thereby forcing consumers to feel full. “This is not a crazy paper,” Dr. Linda Bartoshuk, an expert on taste and smell at the University of Florida, told PopSci. “This research, however, is very preliminary.”

Not a crazy paper? I find it difficult to believe this kind of convoluted insanity qualifies as worthy scientific research. Because the last thing we need is another chemical food additive. The core premise of this research suggests we suspend personal responsibility for weight loss in favor of relying on science and food additives to literally alter our brain chemistry in order to lose weight. Even for those who are genetically predisposed to weight gain; diet, exercise, avoid coupons to buy fast food products and good nutrition are the only sound and healthy solutions to weight loss.