New Delhi, Nov 22 (ANI): While losing weight can be a thankless job, a new research by the University of South Australia suggests that a handful of almonds can help keep additional pounds at bay. Researchers, who studied how almonds can alter human appetite, discovered that a snack of 30-50 grams of almonds could encourage people to consume fewer kilojoules each day. The study, which was published in the European Journal of Nutrition, found that those who ate almonds instead of an energy-equivalent carbohydrate snack reduced their energy consumption by 300 kilojoules at the next meal, the majority of which came from junk food. In Australia, 12.5 million adults--or two out of three--are overweight or obese, the research revealed, adding that nine billion persons worldwide are overweight, with 650 million being obese. According to the study, consumption of almonds was associated with lower levels of C-peptide responses (47 per cent lower), higher levels of the glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (18 per cent higher), glucagon (39 per cent higher), and pancreatic polypeptide responses.