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Chew more for health
(China Daily/DPA)
Updated: 2009-10-14 11:39

Chewing food not only helps one appreciate its taste, but is also good for health. New research recently presented to physicians at the 17th European Congress of Obesity in Amsterdam and published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reveals that chewing may actually play a more complex role in the digestion process than previously thought. It impacts both nutrient absorption and one's sense of fullness.

The study examined how chewing almonds may impact physiology, including appetite and hunger, hormone response and the efficiency of fat absorption. The study revealed that those who chewed 56 g of almonds longer - 25 or 40 times before swallowing - absorbed significantly more good, unsaturated fat, than those who chewed the almonds only 10 times.

The fat often stimulates the secretion of several hormones associated with feelings of fullness in the small intestine.