Tofu and soybeans contain ingredients that improve obesity prone constitution and prevent obesity There is a type of person known as the 'skinny big eater', meaning they eat a lot without gaining weight. On the other hand, there is another type of person who tends to gain weight by eating more, known as the 'easy to gain weight constitution'. What is the difference exactly?
From a medical perspective, individuals who are prone to obesity have the following physical characteristics:
Firstly, there is an excessive secretion of insulin. Insulin can promote the entry of sugar into fat cells, ultimately forming fat deposits in the body, so people with high insulin secretion are naturally prone to weight gain.
Secondly, the amylase, saccharin, and digestive enzymes secreted by the small intestine continue to increase, as these digestive enzymes all have the function of promoting sugar absorption. Therefore, their secretion increases, which can also lead to obesity.
Moreover, the most interesting thing is that the enlargement of the villi on the inner wall of the small intestine can also lead to obesity. Villi are small protrusions on the surface of the intestinal tract, from which food is absorbed. The enlargement of villi causes an increase in the surface area of the small intestine's inner wall, allowing food to be quickly absorbed. If food can be gradually absorbed in the body, it may be converted into carbon dioxide and water to be excreted; But absorbing a large amount of nutrients at once, which cannot be processed by the digestive organs, will result in most of them being converted into fat accumulation, and at the same time, the secretion of insulin will also increase.
In short, the enlargement of villi indicates that their constitution is prone to accumulating fat. It seems that people who are prone to gaining weight have many physical problems. The saponins found in soybeans can improve this condition, inhibit the occurrence of obesity. We conducted experiments on mice using saponins extracted from soybeans. The lower part of the optic nerve in the brain is the filling center and fasting center. The fullness center can bring us the message of 'already full'; And the fasting center will bring us the message of 'still wanting to eat'. Appetite is controlled by the coordination of these two opposing central nervous systems. Injecting mice with a substance called saponins, which has the effect of destroying the central filling system, so no matter how much food the mice eat, they will not feel full at this time. So we kept feeding it, causing it to accumulate fat and eventually gain weight. However, some of the mice had saponins in their food, and we found that these mice did not significantly gain weight. Although saponins are mixed in the food, the appetite of the mice did not decrease compared to other mice due to the damage to the central nervous system. So, how do saponins inhibit obesity? The insulin secretion of mice without feeding saponins increased by more than ten times that of ordinary mice; However, mice fed with saponins did not show such a significant increase in insulin secretion. In addition, the amylase activity of the obese mice increased by 70%, while the mice fed with saponins did not show such significant changes.
In addition, mice fed with saponins showed a significant inhibition of villus enlargement rate. So why do saponins have the effects of inhibiting insulin secretion, reducing amylase activity, and preventing villus enlargement? The issue is still in the inference stage, probably related to the fasting center. The small intestine and insulin secreting pancreas are both controlled by the fasting center. After the destruction of the satiety center, the fasting center, which has a mutually inhibitory relationship with it, will also be obstructed. The central nervous system is abnormally excited on an empty stomach, which promotes small intestine function, increases amylase, and leads to villus enlargement. In addition, the secretion of insulin will also increase. Saponins effectively prevent obesity by inhibiting abnormal excitation of the fasting center. Not only soybeans, but also all soy products contain a large amount of saponins. So, when some people feel that "recently, fat people have too much oil and fat", they may want to eat some tofu, natto, and soy products every day.