Smell Your Way To Weight Loss
I was amazed to read about a new weight loss perfume. Apparently for about $50 you can get slim – just by wearing perfume.
The ingredients include caffeine, carnitine & spirulina which they claim active enzymes that are involved in lipolysis (to break down your fat cells, I assume). Other ingredients apparently release B-endorphines and reduce the need and desire to overeat in the wearer. Three quarters of testers reported that they didn't snack as much whilst wearing the perfume. So it must be true then…
I know that taste can have a biological reaction. For example, if you drink a diet soda, the sweet taste may prepare your body to receive sugar; even if that sugar doesn't materialise. However, I've never heard of the same effect based on smell alone. Though perhaps if the perfume smelt particularly revolting, eating would be the last thing you'd want to do!
Products like this sum up exactly what people want – an easy, no effort approach to weight loss. The ability to continue to give no regard to the food they put in their mouths. Sadly health rarely seems to be a driver for people to lose weight. People seem very reluctant to give up their SAD diet; never mind get off the sofa.
Do you think there could be any scientific basis to the perfume makers claims? Of the overweight people that you know, how many would opt for a perfume, rather than a healthy (Paleo!) diet and lifestyle?
