Suppress appetite! Smelling natural mint flavor helps lose weight

Mint ice cream, mint candy... the unique smell of mint is so charming! Even cakes are garnished with a small piece of mint leaves to enhance the aroma. In fact, the uses of mint are more than that. According to a study published in the Chicago Tribune, sniffing the peppermint essential oil extracted from peppermint leaves can also reduce appetite and help lose weight.

Peppermint oil has amazing uses! Smell reduces appetite and helps lose weight

According to a study conducted by Wheeling Jesuit University in the United States, subjects who were asked to smell peppermint oil every two hours were less likely to feel hungry than those who did not smell peppermint oil. After the test continued for a week, the subjects who smelled peppermint oil every 2 hours consumed an average of 2,800 calories less.

Researcher Bryan Raudenbush found in his research report that for subjects who sniffed peppermint oil every two hours for seven days and controlled their daily calorie intake to 1,800 calories, up to 23% of the calories they lost came from sugar and fat.

Therefore, the researchers inferred that the unique aroma of mint can inhibit and stop the human body from eating when not hungry, help reduce the intake of snacks and junk food, and control and reduce the desire to eat caused by emotional reactions such as stress.

Relieve pain Peppermint oil soothes stomach discomfort

In addition, a 2007 Italian study of 57 patients with irritable bowel syndrome found that in less than four weeks, 75% of patients who took peppermint oil experienced significant improvements in symptoms such as bloating, abdominal pain, diarrhea, or constipation; while those who took a placebo showed no significant changes.

After further evaluation, the researchers believe that the menthol component in peppermint oil helps relax the muscles of the intestinal wall, achieving a soothing and pain-reducing effect. A 2011 Australian study further confirmed that mint can indeed stimulate the production of antipain in the colon, thereby alleviating the pain symptoms caused by gastrointestinal inflammation.