Chewing your way thin

In the always interesting world of fad diets, turns of phrase like "Lose 10 Pounds in 2 Days!" are tossed about like the salad-only diet you would probably have to follow to really lose that much weight in such a short amount of time (only that too wouldn't exactly be healthy weight loss). But, when I came across some information about a chewing gum (supposedly able to mimic the satiety feeling produced naturally by the pancreatic polypeptide) that researchers at the Imperial College London are developing, I couldn't help but make the mental leap to the infomercials and B-rated celebrity endorsements that will likely come next.

Strangely, the results from the gum seem to be somewhat convincing thus far. After giving the hormone (which is found in the gum) to a portion of overweight test subjects, and giving a placebo to the other portion of subjects, and then offering them a buffet meal, the researchers found that the non-placebo group at 22 percent less food during that meal. What's more, that same group also consumed 25 percent less calories over the next 24 hours.

Does it work? Maybe, maybe not. Who knows, really? Either way, we won't know for at least another 5 to 10 years, as the gum will not be available until then. In the meantime, we at least have fun making suggestions of which B-list celebrity would make the perfect spokesperson.