By all accounts, there has been a dramatic increase in obesity reported in the United States over the past decade. A case in point, in 2007 the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that only one state (Colorado) accounted for having incidences of obesity of less than 20%. Thirty states reported equal to or greater than 25%; three of which (Alabama, Mississippi and Tennessee) had an increase of obesity equal to or greater than 30%.
This frightening rate of obesity raises grave concerns among many health officials. They are quick to point out that obesity increases the risk of many diseases and health conditions, including coronary heart disease, stroke, hypertension, osteoarthritis, dyslipidemia, type 2 diabetes, sleep apnea and even some forms of cancers.
As the media continues to focus on this growing problem, more and more consumers are becoming aware of how their diet impacts not only their overall appearance, but, more importantly, their health. Consumers are showing greater interest in eating a more balanced diet and controlling their total daily caloric intake to fight obesity and maintain a healthier weight.
Easier said than done, as grabbing a “meal on the go” has become commonplace in our society’s fast-paced lifestyle. And, as a result, more often than not we find ourselves snacking between meals to relieve the stress in our everyday lives. Unfortunately, the snacks we commonly consume are often high in fat, sugar and salt, and can still leave us hungry soon after eating. Consequently, snacking most often leads to excessive weight gain.
The response from the food and beverage industry to this situation has been the introduction of alternative snack food products designed to control “satiation,” one of the industry’s hottest buzzwords.
Satiation is the process that promotes meal termination. It is the physical process that prevents the overconsumption of food. Satiety results from the signals that emanate from the stomach in response to gastric dissention and peptides released by the endocrine intestinal cells after ingestion of food.
The following graph, derived from data compiled by the research firm Mintel, Chicago, gives just a brief indication of the importance of this new trend. It indicates worldwide product launches designed to promote satiety.
Satiety is related to the release of gastrointestinal peptides which stimulates the central nervous system, causing the cessation of food intake. It is the process that affects hunger from one meal to the next. In effect, satiety helps control meal frequency in concert with learned social and behavioural habits.