People have used the scents of plants, trees, herbs and fruits since ancient times to fight inflammation, depression and induce sleep. “Smells act on the brain like a drug,” says neurologist Dr Alan Hirsch, founder of the Smell and Taste Treatment and Research Foundation in Chicago.
“In the future there will be new treatments based on smell.”
Smells stimulate nerves in the nose that send impulses to the brain.
These impulses usually go to the brain’s limbic system which is the center of our emotions, and this may help to explain why so many scents can trigger our emotions and memories. The limbic lobe in turn directly activates the hypothalamus, which houses and controls our satiety center. In other words, our nose dictates our hunger level more quickly and more efficiently than our stomach!Appetite suppressing scents whose effectiveness has been proven
In scientific research, people preferred sweet smells, and strongly sweet scents such as chocolate often triggered feelings of hunger and led to overeating or binge eating, while “neutral” sweet smells actually curbed appetite.
To test this theory, researchers asked 3,193 overweight people (mostly women) aged 18-64 to inhale a variety of “neutral” sweet smells, including banana, green apple, vanilla, and peppermint, three times in each nostril whenever they were hungry. After six months, the participants in this study lost an average of five pounds a month, or 30 pounds in total.
Researchers have found that the scent of vanilla specifically reduces your cravings for chocolate and it can also reduce your cravings for other sweets. You can spray vanilla-scented perfume, use a vanilla-based air freshener or light a vanilla-scented candle when you feel tempted to reach out for something sweet.
Peppermint
Bryan Raudenbush, a professor at Wheeling Jesuit University in West Virginia, found that volunteers who sniffed peppermint scent every two hours were not as hungry as nonsniffers and — even better — they ate 2,800 fewer calories in a week. That's enough to lose close to a pound.
According to a 2012 study in the journal Flavour, strong aromas make you take smaller bites of food. Look for spicy food with bold flavors like chiles or onions, or try sprinkling red chile pepper flakes into a simple soup for a strong kick.
Extra Virgin olive oil
A new study from the German Research Center for Food Chemistry found that even just smelling Extra Virgin olive oil may lead to greater feelings of fullness. When an aromatic extract was added to yogurt, participants consumed fewer calories and had a better blood sugar response compared to those who were given plain yogurt without any added extracts. They also had higher increases in serotonin, a hormone associated with satiety. This is great news for olive oil enthusiasts because this potent substance is also loaded with MUFAs, the healthy fats that help blast belly fat.
Grapefruit
This vitamin C and lycopene-loaded citrus powerhouse is a favorite fruit of dieters, but it might boost your weight loss efforts even more if you take a few seconds to smell it before digging in. Researchers at Osaka University in Japan found that exposing rats to the scent of grapefruit oil for 15-minute intervals helped lower their appetite and weight. Researchers believe it may have to do with how the smell interacts with liver enzymes.
Fennel
This crunchy, refreshing plant with a hint of licorice flavoring has long been used by Italians as a palate cleansers between courses, but according to the West Coast Institute of Aromatherapy, it also functions as an appetite suppresant. When cravings hit, break off a stalk or two of the celery-like herb and have a tall, cold glass of water.
Sources: http://www.express.co.uk/, http://www.rd.com/,