istockphoto.comExercise is the woooooorst. And dieting? It ain't gonna happen, honey. We like food. But there is hope for us still: Two new scientific studies, each of which suggests an alternative way to lose weight, will hopefully make ellipticals and the Atkins diet an archaic way of the past.
1. Sniffing Fruit: A study conducted at the University of Burgundy in Dijon, France, shows that sniffing fruit (yes, sniffing fruit) could "make the brain more likely to make the healthy [food selection], especially when it comes to dessert."
In the study, 115 unwitting participants were split into two groups:
One group waited in a room smelling of fresh-pear scent, the other waited in a waiting room smelling of room. Seventy-five percent of the control group selected a decadent-brownie-dessert option, while more than half of the group coming from fruit-fragrance room picked an apple-y option.
(Fruit is not a real dessert, but whatever.)
"Participants exposed to a pear odor were significantly more numerous in choosing to eat a dessert containing fruit than non-exposed participants," the study concludes. "For the first time, this study provides scientific evidence that a non-consciously perceived fruity odor can influence actual food choices, guiding them toward more 'fruity' desserts."
2. TEQUILA! LET'S GET WAAAaaaAAaaAASTED!1!!!!43v dsankgfksdg: A study by the University of Alpha Delta AWESOME, BRAH (just kidding: Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados, Biotechnology and Biochemistry Irapuato in Guanajuato, Mexico) says that "agavin," a natural sugar found in the plants that make tequila, could help with weight loss.
Agavin is non-digestible and does not raise blood sugar. In an experiment, researchers learned that agavin can "increase GLP-1," which is "a hormone that slows the stomach from emptying." This can cause people to feel fuller and eat less. It also has benefits for people with diabetes.
Unfortunately, even though Time says "sugars found within tequila could offer health benefits to the obese," the study explains that, though tequila is made from plants containing agavins:
All ethanol in tequila comes from the fermentation of glucose and fructose generated after agave pines are cooked. But because the agavins are converted to ethanol, agavins are not found in the finished product.
So the next thing science does should be figuring out how to keep the agavins in the tequila. In the meantime, there has to be some other heath benefit of ripping tequila shots. SO LET'S ALL GET HEALTHY TONIGHT!