Eating INSECTS ‘boosts metabolism and could be key to faster weight loss’
NEW research suggests stars battling through the infamous I’m a Celebrity ‘bushtucker trials’ might have been doing their health a favour.
Viewers have watched in horror as contestants like Katie Price, Kim Woodburn and Ferne McCann ate live spiders, crickets and cockroaches during stomach churning challenges over the years.
Unappetising as the sight of these was, scientists are now saying that chowing down on insects could help tackle obesity, as key ingredients contained in their shells could help shed weight.
A study on mice found that fibre in the crunchy protective shells of bugs like crickets and beetles can boost the metabolism and reduce body fat.
The fibre, called chitin, is also found in mushrooms and crabs and is hard for the body to break down.
In the study, it fired up the immune system in a way that appeared to prevent obesity.
Lead author Dr Steven Van Dyken, from Washington University School of Medicine, said: “Obesity is an epidemic.
“What we put into our bodies has a profound effect on our physiology and on how we metabolise food.
“We’re investigating ways to counter obesity based on what we learn about how the immune system is engaged by diet.”
Mice that ate bugs had faster metabolisms, less weight gain and lower body fat than the others.
Writing in the journal Science, Dr Van Dyken said he hopes to do the experiment on people next.
Figures show around three in 10 Brits are obese, putting them at risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke and cancer.
Other studies have shown eating insects can be a healthy source of protein which is more eco-friendly than farming mammals.
They can be ground into powder and added to flour – or simply cooked and eaten whole.
There are plenty of places where tucking into creepy crawlies is considered normal, such as South Africa and Zimbabwe, as well as spots like Cambodia and Japan.