Maintaining the natural structure of plant-derived foods limits the exposure of fat to digestive enzymes in the gastric juice.
A study from the Quadram Institute and King’s University in London, the University of Surrey and the University of Messina found that maintaining the natural structure of a plant-derived food limits the exposure of fat to the digestive enzymes in the stomach, which inhibits the body’s absorption of fat.
The researchers say that if natural plant structure can maintain the body’s level of absorption of fat, it will help reduce body fat accumulation, help control weight and reduce the potential for cardiovascular disease.
Previous studies have found that ingestion of intact almond does not cause weight gain, although almond has a fat content of 50%. Accordingly, the researchers designed a test to explore how different almond processing methods affect the body’s intake of almond fat.
In the study, the researchers gave participants 2 almond pancake, one almond block made of the 2mm size and the other using almond powder. Almond cake is normally chewed and eaten in the dynamic stomach model. The model can accurately simulate the physiological and chemical conditions of the small intestine and observe the release of fat.
60 minutes after the food was put into the model, the researchers found that 40% of the fat in Almond pancake made from almond powder had been released, and only 6% of the fat was released in the almond block. After digestion for 9 hours in the small intestine, 97% of the fat in the almond powder was released, and only 60% of the fat in the almond block was released.
The researchers believe that the preservation of the natural structure of the plant source food 10-hydroxycamptothecin can maintain the integrity of the cell wall to a greater extent, thereby limiting the release of fat in the cells and reducing the absorbability and utilization of fat.
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Stanford Chemicals 