Science
Why smell will make you lose weight – You can’t trick the nose!
The olfactory bulb is the entry point of smells to the brain. It lies at the top of the nose just resting outside the main hemispheres of the brain.
Once a scent hits the olfactory bulb it’s chemical signal is converted into an electrical signal which is then transported along neurons into the brain. Neurons are the way that one region of the brain can talk to another. A special property of the olfactory system, unlike other sense systems – is that there are only TWO neuronal connections from the olfactory bulb directly into the brain. This is in contrast to the visual system where there are five cortical layers of connections. This means that information in the visual system is highly processed by the brain. This is not the case with the olfactory system. Because there are fewer connections, you can’t trick the nose. Unlike the visual system which can be easily tricked.
Where these olfactory neurons terminate is also important. Unlike other senses which are routed through the thalamus, olfactory neurons end up in key regions of the brain that control and modulate behaviour – namely the limbic (emotional) and hippocampal (memory) systems. These regions are the starting point for all co-ordinated assessment and action. You may have noticed that sometimes you catch a whiff of a scent and immediately a strong memory arises? This is because of that direct connection between the nose and the memory centres.
These characteristics of the olfactory system are related to our ancient evolutionary heritage where hunter gatherers needed to quickly ascertain whether a food was safe to eat or not AND be able to remember which foods were safe to eat or not. Smell is an important part of this process.
With STINK YOURSELF SLIM – we are working directly with this evolutionarily ancient brain system to help you stay away from your ‘danger cupboard’ and harmful between meal snacking/eating. The mildly adverse scent is conveyed to the brain and puts a STOP on any approach behaviours which means you are not snacking and gaining weight. It works instantly as there are only two neuronal connections to be made.
It has an immediate and powerful effect.