PYY: A Hormone That Reduces Hunger

By Jon Herring

One reason a high-protein diet helps with weight loss is that protein (and the fat that often comes with it) takes longer to digest than carbohydrates, so you feel full longer. But a research team at University College London recently revealed another reason you feel more satiated when you eat protein. It has to do with a hormone in protein called PYY.

When injected into rodents, PYY wiped out hunger for more than 12 hours. In another test, mice were genetically engineered so they couldn't produce PYY. They immediately started to overeat and quickly became obese. When researchers injected those mice with the missing PYY, they started eating less and losing weight.

While there is no way to supplement with PYY, Dr. Rachel Batterham - the study's lead researcher - has some practical advice. "Increasing the protein content of the diet augments the body's own PYY, helping to reduce hunger and aid weight loss," she says.

You get protein from meat, poultry, eggs, nuts, beans, and most dairy products. And powdered protein supplements that you can mix with water or blend into a smoothie are inexpensive and widely available. (My favorite is NutriBiotic Rice Protein Powder.) They make for good snacks and can replace a meal if you're on the go, but avoid those with artificial sweeteners.
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Word to the Wise: Parlous

Something that's "parlous" - from the Latin for "hazard" - is fraught with danger.

Example (as used by Howard Simons in The New York Times): "It was a parlous time on the Continent, when Communists and fascists vied brutally for supremacy."

Michael Masterson
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These articles appear courtesy of Early to Rise [Issue #1859, 10-13-06], the Internet's most popular health, wealth, and success e-zine. For a complimentary subscription, visit http://www.earlytorise.com/.