London, Sep 3 (IANS): Cannot hold that craving for unhealthy foods such as sweets or fast food? Try this spinach drink.

A spinach extract containing green leaf membranes called thylakoids decreases "hedonic hunger" - eating for pleasure rather than to satisfy a biological need - by up to 95 percent and increases weight loss by 43 percent, new research indicates.

Taking thylakoids reinforces the body's production of satiety hormones and suppresses hunger which leads to better appetite control, healthier eating habits and increased weight loss.

"Having a drink containing thylakoids before breakfast reduces cravings and keeps you feeling satisfied all day," said Charlotte Erlanson-Albertsson, a professor of medicine and physiological chemistry at the Lund University in Sweden.

The study involved 38 overweight women and ran for three months.

Every morning before breakfast the participants had a green drink.

Half of the women were given five grams of spinach extract and the other half were given a placebo.

In the study, the control group lost an average of 3.5 kg while the group that was given thylakoids lost five kg.

"The thylakoid group also found that it was easier to stick to three meals a day - and they did not experience any cravings," Erlanson-Albertsson added.

The thylakoids extend digestion, producing a feeling of satiety.

"This means that we are able to stick to the diet we are meant for without snacks and unnecessary foods like sweets, crisps and such", Erlanson-Albertsson concluded.