Effect of Sumac on Appetite and Food Intake

Oxford Brookes University

Status: Completed

Conditions: Food Intake; Appetite

Treatments: Other: sumac

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT05534152

UREC 181174

Details and patient eligibility

About

Sumac, is a spice that is widely used in Turkish, Iranian and Middle Eastern foods. In these regions, the fruit of sumac is used for seasoning or flavouring, as an appetizer and for souring food. This spice has also been used in herbal folk medicine to relieve certain conditions including bowel disorders, anorexia and indigestion. In addition, many studies have shown that sumac contains a high level of antioxidant activity and polyphenol content that may benefit certain diseases such as cancer and diabetes. The aim of this study was to assess the level of the appetite and food intake among young adults in comparison with free living older adults following the consumption of sumac. This was achieved by assessing the amount of food intake during a lunch course and the impact on food intake for the subsequent 12 hours.

Full description

Rhus coriaria Linn, also known as Sumac, is a spice that is widely used in Turkish, Iranian and Middle Eastern foods. In these regions, the fruit of sumac is used for seasoning or flavouring, as an appetizer and for souring food. This spice has also been used in herbal folk medicine to relieve certain conditions including bowel disorders, anorexia and indigestion. In addition, many studies have shown that sumac contains a high level of antioxidant activity and polyphenol content that may benefit certain diseases such as cancer and diabetes.

Taste and smell perception may play a vital role in food preference, nutrient intake and appetite; however, both ageing and disease can have a negative impact on these senses. It has been suggested that by 2025 the older adult population (i.e. those aged 60years and over) worldwide will rapidly increase and reach 1.12 billion. One of the major physiological changes in this age group is the loss or reduction in sensory perception including smell and taste. These changes as a result of ageing and medication increase the risk of poor health by reducing the enjoyment of food followed by decreasing food and nutrient intake.

It is possible, therefore, that all these factors together may lessen the enjoyment of food, leading to malnutrition and disease complications. In light of the above, the aim of this study was to assess the level of the appetite and food intake among young adults in comparison with free living older adults following the consumption of sumac. This was achieved by assessing the amount of food intake during a lunch course and the impact on food intake for the subsequent 12 hours.

This study assessed the use of sumac at 1% dose (0.37g) of total volume of a vegetable soup (150g), in two forms: 1) added to finished cooked soup 2) added to the soup from the beginning of the cooking process, in addition to consumption of the same soup without added sumac as the control soup. The study comprised of 20 young adults (18-35 years old) and 20 free living older adults aged >65 years. Each participant in these groups attended the Oxford Brookes Centre for Nutrition and Health (OxBCNH) for three sessions and each session lasted up to one hour.

Enrollment: 40 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18 to 80 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• • Adults, aged >65 years

  • Adults, 18-35 years
  • No allergy to any herbs and spices
  • No allergy to vegetables including celery and tomato
  • Non-smoker
  • Do not have a cold or hay fever (on test day)
  • No medication that may affect the sensory taste such as: antibiotics, antihistamines and decongestants, anti-inflammatory agents, and muscle relaxants (Bromley, 2000)
  • Ability to read and understand written information in English
  • Ability to attend, stand and sit for up to one hour
  • The normal level of capability of functional activity (i.e. traveling out to the neighbourhood, shopping alone)
  • Not diagnosed with Dementia

Exclusion criteria

• Disease that may affect the taste and smell sensation including local chronic or acute inflammatory nasal disease and oral and perioral infections

Trial design

Primary purpose: Supportive Care

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

---

40 participants in 3 patient groups, including a placebo group

Soup with no sumac

Placebo Comparator group

Description:

150 g butternut squash soup with no added sumac

Treatment:

Other: sumac

Sumac added to soup at the end of cooking

Experimental group

Description:

150 g butternut squash soup with 1% sumac added at the end of cooking

Treatment:

Other: sumac

Sumac added to the sumac during cooking

Experimental group

Description:

150 g butternut squash soup with 1% sumac added during cooking

Treatment:

Other: sumac