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A study has found that mice with an impaired sense of smell gain less weight than other mice, even when calorie consumption and exercise levels are the same:
To conduct the study, molecular biologist Andrew Dillin of the University of California, Berkeley, and colleagues turned to a variety of genetically altered mice. The scientists gave them regular doses of the diphtheria toxin—which causes a temporary loss of odor-sensing neurons—to suppress their sense of smell. They then fed the rodents either a normal diet or fatty foods—the mouse equivalent of cheesecake and pizza—that usually induce obesity.
After more than 3 months of noshing on regular chow, the odor-deprived rodents weighed slightly less than mice whose sense of smell was intact. In the group on the high-fat diet, however, the mice that couldn't smell weighed 16% less than animals that could [open, DOI: 10.1016/j.cmet.2017.06.015] [DX], which became obese. Losing the ability to smell also caused a different group of already-obese mice to lose weight, the researchers reveal today in Cell Metabolism. The obvious explanation for this effect—that mice with impaired olfaction were eating less—turned out to be wrong. There was no difference in the animals' food consumption. Nor were the slim rodents getting more exercise. They weren't moving around their cages more than their porky counterparts.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by technoid_ on Thursday July 06 2017, @03:39PM (5 children)
I have lost most of my sense of smell for about 3 years now. I believe it is related my to treatment for leukemia i had previously. Some strong scents still come through of both the pleasant and unpleasant varieties.
I use quite a bit more black pepper now to enhance flavor since I don't have the aroma of the food to help.
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday July 06 2017, @04:22PM (3 children)
Sounds like you beat the leukemia, fingers crossed that it stays away.
Another anecdote -- My 88 year old mother eats plenty, but is very thin. She lost most of her sense of smell ~15 years ago by using a zinc-based preparation (non-prescription) that was supposed to reduce frequency of getting common colds. In her experience, it did seem to help cut back on cold symptoms, but the permanent loss of smell appears to be a common side effect. That product is off the market now.
Bonus for me and my sister -- Mom's cooking was always very good, but a little bland for our taste. Now she really spices things up so that she can taste something. Yummm!
(Score: 2) by frojack on Thursday July 06 2017, @06:16PM (2 children)
AC living in basement with sister still forces 88 year old mom to cook their food. Film at 11.
No, you are mistaken. I've always had this sig.
(Score: 0, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday July 06 2017, @07:19PM (1 child)
Little do they realize their elderly mother knows AC and sister are incestuous lovers.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday July 06 2017, @09:18PM
Doubtless this is a common scenario...
However, in this case my sister and I live nearby (I'm married, live two klicks to the east; partially disabled sister lives three klicks to the west in an apartment). We both spend some time helping our mother maintain her house. Mom prefers to remain in familiar surroundings instead of moving to some type of senior/assisted living. In return, she often cooks for us (and we have her over to our house for dinner too).
(Score: 2) by Gaaark on Thursday July 06 2017, @09:10PM
Yeah, i used to do really nice meals as a kid, but as i grew older, i found i had to spice the hell out of things in order to taste it, to the point where i ruined food for other people.
Now i just do general cooking and do after spicing/peppering/sriracha-ing after for myself. Kind of sucks not being able to smell a nicely cooked meal or a porter.
--- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---
(Score: 3, Insightful) by looorg on Thursday July 06 2017, @04:01PM (4 children)
So it's the smell that is making people fat? Next diet fad will be that you should hold your nose as you eat so you don't absorb as many evil fat cells thru your nose. Totally backed up by some hard sciency facts now.
But overall I'm not sure if this is so surprising as taste and smell are very important. Easy test - hold your nose as you taste something and the perceived taste actually diminishes in strength, if you completely lose it then this is probably a permanent effect much more severe.
Secondly everything fried with fat smells lovely (imo), if you can't smell or taste anything then you might as well eat tasteless tofu or some kind of porridge sludge. So you'll lose weight. I guess the mouse experiment didn't show that but it would make sense.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday July 06 2017, @04:07PM
Whenever I walk through a restaurant I make sure to crop dust at least one table.
I'm doing my part.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday July 06 2017, @04:15PM (1 child)
> hold your nose as you eat
Came here to say the same thing.
New product idea for the diet industry -- nose plugs that filter out common food smells?
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Thursday July 06 2017, @06:23PM
I feel like cloth-pegs for noses will become trendy. Nose plugs are, obviously, too less obvious to publicly display hipsters' commitment to health.
I can't wait a study showing that a 30mins daily dose of whipping results in weight loss. I never saw a public self-flagellation procession.
(oh, it will get weight loss results. No, I'm not going to see such an article, too little incentive for business. Unless... unless SM practices make their way in beauty salons)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday July 06 2017, @05:26PM
I see you've encountered my ex's meatloaf :-/
(Score: 5, Insightful) by rigrig on Thursday July 06 2017, @04:52PM (1 child)
Maybe diphtheria causes weight loss?
Somehow I wouldn't be surprised if that method of disabling their sense of smell has a few side effects...
No one remembers the singer.
(Score: 2) by looorg on Thursday July 06 2017, @05:14PM
That wouldn't be a surprise since some of the symptoms are supposed to be problems swallowing, nausea and vomiting. It's so hard to gain weight if you can't swallow things and things that do get swallowed have a tendency to come up and/or out again.
(Score: 2) by bob_super on Thursday July 06 2017, @05:58PM
> the mouse equivalent of cheesecake and pizza
... IS cheesecake and pizza.
(Score: 4, Interesting) by krishnoid on Thursday July 06 2017, @08:02PM (2 children)
So I'd assume they're pooping out more (undigested?) food than the smell-enabled mice -- would the ability to smell food tell their whole body, not just their mouth, to 'eat'? Maybe if you can't smell it as being food, the rest of the body can't tell it's food (second entry) [gotfuturama.com] and doesn't gear up (in time?) to absorb/store it as much.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday July 06 2017, @08:42PM (1 child)
Exactly what I was going to say. Smelling food, even if you aren't going to eat it, gets your mouth salivating and your body releases some digestive related enzymes. If you skip that step, it's likely the body is less prepared for digestion and thus doesn't digest food as efficiently.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday July 06 2017, @09:22PM
> Smelling food, even if you aren't going to eat it, gets your mouth salivating ...
Or even thinking about food. As I read your post my stomach started growling!