If you find yourself irresistibly drawn to the vending machine after daydreaming about that bar of chocolate, you may soon be able to pop a pill that’ll make your junk food craving disappear – the only downside is it could contain lizard spit.
A team of researchers from the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg discovered that reptile saliva from the Gila monster lizard could help combat food cravings in humans, after testing its power during a series of taste tests on rats.
Scientists created a drug called Exenatide, which contains a natural compound called exendin-4 that is found in the saliva of the scaly Gila lizard.
The lab rats showed a reduction in food cravings after being given the pill, which could be due to the exendin-4 in saliva affecting the reward and motivation regions of the brain, says assistant professor Karolina Skibicka.
It's also believed that it is able to control blood sugar levels, too.
"This is both unknown and quite unexpected effect," professor Skibicka said in statement. “Our decision to eat is linked to the same mechanisms in the brain which control addictive behaviours.”
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Researchers are hopeful that this drug could help treat those with eating disorders, type 2 diabetes and even alcohol cravings.
"It is the same brain regions which are involved in food cravings and alcohol cravings, so it would be very interesting to test whether exendin-4 also reduces the cravings for alcohol," adds professor Skibicka.
Doreen Virtue, author of Constant Craving added that this pill could help keep people on track with their diet.
"Overwhelming food cravings are the culprit behind every broken diet and dietary-related disease," Virtue told HuffPost Lifestyle.
If you don't fancy popping a lizard saliva pill, find out other ways you can battle the food cravings...
How To Curb Your Junk Food Cravings
Want to see the Gila monster lizard up close? Watch this...