Researchers have long tried to understand why some of us can’t seem to keep our hand out of the candy jar, while others of us can pass it 15 times a day without so much as a twinge of a sugar craving. A new study presented at the International Conference on Obesity in Stockholm by researchers from Columbia University showed that when obese women were shown pictures of high-fat foods like chocolate cake, the brain released dopamine, also know as the “desire” chemical. The reaction was much less pronounced in non-obese women. Other studies have found similar responses.
What, exactly, these studies might mean for the overweight is unclear, but researchers are beginning to ask whether these types of chemicals make it more difficult for some people to avoid eating unhealthy foods than others, according to the
Wall Street Journal. To read more about these studies, click
here.
In the meantime, what are your best strategies for restricting yourself from the foods you know you shouldn’t eat?