Gellan Gum Could Beat Obesity

British scientists are developing a new tool to tackle obesity which could put an end to gastric surgery. The product being developed is gellan gum, which is a starch like substance that is often used as an additive in foods to thicken sauces. Gellan gum is virtually calorie free.

The research team at the School of Chemical Engineering at Birmingham University are hoping to convert gellan gum into a liquid form that can be used in diet drinks. Gellan gum reacts with the digestive juices and helps people to feel full for much longer than other diet drinks. The effect can last for up to 6 hours and nutrients can be added to the formula to help provide a balanced diet.

“We think it is a great idea because it is so simple. The solution we designed takes advantage of the body’s natural process of digestion to convert itself into a gel that fills you up and then breaks down. We are now working on how to get it to release energy slowly, so that it not only makes the stomach feel full but also provides energy the body needs.” Dr Fotis Spyropoulos, School of Chemical Engineering at Birmingham University.

The gellan gum diet formula will work in a similar way to more traditional diet shakes, but will be more effective at curbing hunger. It is then hoped that gellan gum drink will be able to replace one meal a day in a healthy way.

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Tags: Birmingham University, Dr Fotis Spyropoulos, gastric surgery, gellan gum, School of Chemical Engineering

This entry was posted on Wednesday, November 4th, 2009 at 9:26 am and is filed under Weight Loss. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.