A simple potato extract may limit weight gain from a diet that is high in fat and refined carbohydrates, according to a new study.
Scientists at McGill University in Canada fed mice an obesity-inducing diet for 10 weeks. The mice that started out weighing on average 25 grams put on about 16 grams.
However, mice that consumed the same diet but with a potato extract gained much less weight: only 7 more grams.
The benefits of the extract are due to its high concentration of polyphenols, a beneficial chemical component from the fruits and vegetables we eat, researchers said.
"We were astonished by the results. We thought this can't be right - in fact, we ran the experiment again using a different batch of extract prepared from potatoes grown in another season, just to be certain," said Professor Luis Agellon, one of the study's authors.
"The daily dose of extract comes from 30 potatoes, but of course we don't advise anyone to eat 30 potatoes a day as that would be an enormous number of calories," said Stan Kubow, principal author of the study.
The researchers envisage making the extract available as a dietary supplement or simply as a cooking ingredient to be added in the kitchen.
The team hopes to patent the potato extract, and is currently seeking partners, mainly from the food industry, to contribute to funding clinical trials.
