Research Shows Food Addiction Could Be Real

Research Shows Food Addiction Could Be Real

Recent research has shown that the idea of food addiction may have some basis, especially after a brain scan has shown how potatoes or white bread can increase our desire to eat.

Researchers used an MRI on 12 obese men to observe the changes in their brain activity up to 4 hours after they ate. The researchers say that the 4 hours is the time period that heavily influences the way we consume our upcoming meals.

The real time MRI wasn't the only thing used to oversee the state of the overweight volunteers, their blood sugar level was also closely looked at over the course of their meal and the following four hours.

The meals the 12 men ate consisted of two milkshakes that were identical in taste and the number of calories they contained but differed in their carbohydrates. One had high-glycemic index carbohydrates while the other contained low-glycemic index carbohydrates.

The difference is that high-glycemic carbohydrates have a faster transformation to sugar that is transported in the blood, while low-glycemic carbohydrates take longer to do so. High -lycemic carbohydrates can be found in heavily processed foods and white flour and rice.

The study shows that while consuming the high glycemic carbs, cravings and reward parts of the brain are stimulated, actions that may lead to a sort of food addiction.

Posted by George Daniels on Sunday June 30 2013, 3:51 AM EST. Ref: webmd. Link. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under Featured News, Health. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0