There are certain foods we have a tough time resisting — one mention, one whiff, one offering, and we’re toast.

Because high-calorie foods such as pizza, chocolate, and chips have led to the demise of many a waistline and in some cases brought on serious long-term health complications, it’s no surprise there is interest in learning what causes our cravings — and a desire to do something about it.

“This could reduce the urge to consume high-calorie foods,” said one researcher.

Scientists from Imperial College London and the University of Glasgow believe they may be on the right track. They asked 20 volunteers to consume a milkshake that contained either an ingredient called inulin-propionate ester, or a type of fiber called inulin.

Previous studies had shown bacteria in the gut released a compound called propionate when people digested the fiber inulin, which can signal the brain to reduce a person’s appetite. However, the inulin-propionate ester supplement releases much more propionate in the intestines than inulin alone.

After drinking the milkshakes, the participants underwent an MRI scan — and were shown pictures of various low- or high-calorie foods such as salad, fish, and vegetables, or chocolate, cake, and pizza.

The team found that when volunteers drank the milkshake containing inulin-propionate ester, they had less activity in areas of their brain linked to reward — but only when looking at the high-calorie foods.

The volunteers also had to rate how appealing they found the foods. The results showed that when they drank the milkshake with the inulin-propionate ester supplement — they rated the high-calorie foods as less appealing.

“Willpower is meaningless in weight loss because it is short-term,” said one weight loss coach.

In a second part of the study, published in the July edition of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, the volunteers were given a bowl of pasta with tomato sauce, and asked to eat as much as they like. When they drank the inulin-propionate ester, they ate 10 percent less pasta than when they drank the milkshake that contained inulin alone.

A previous study by the same team, published in 2013, found that overweight volunteers who added the inulin-propionate ester supplement to their food every day gained less weight over six months compared to volunteers who added only inulin to their meals.

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Professor Gary Frost of the Department of Medicine at Imperial and senior author of the study, said, “Our previous findings showed that people who ate this ingredient gained less weight, but we did not know why. This study is filling in a missing bit of the jigsaw — and shows that this supplement can decrease activity in brain areas associated with food reward at the same time as reducing the amount of food [people] eat.”

Claire Byrne, Ph.D., a researcher from the same department, explained that using inulin-propionate ester as a food ingredient may help prevent weight gain: “If we add this to foods, it could reduce the urge to consume high-calorie foods.”

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She added that some people’s gut bacteria may naturally produce more propionate than others, which may be why some people seem more naturally predisposed to gain weight.

Yet Pat Barone, a master certified professional coach who specializes in long-term weight loss and healthy eating, has her doubts. There didn’t appear to be a double-blind (placebo) group, so there’s nothing to compare the results to, she said. Also, the sample size was too small and there was no length of time included to see if the subjects lost weight or kept it off. They simply showed less interest in pictures of food.

“The body adjusts to everything you give it, so even if something works at first, its effect will diminish,” said Barone. “Many people are constantly upping their antidepressant dosage, for example. Many scientists believe the placebo effect is up to 80 percent of immediate change we see. There’s not much benefit from supplements, but it makes us feel better to think we are doing something.”

She added, “What most people with weight problems don’t want to do is face what’s driving their eating — and that is always psychological. Willpower is meaningless in weight loss because it is short-term. Willpower is great for an hour or two, but can’t be maintained long-term.”