Obesity Genes Mainly Affect Your Brain

Don't feed them pureed meals: study

(NEWSER) - Babies may face a lower risk of obesity if they feed themselves finger food when they're first learning to eat solids, a study suggests. Researchers found that babies who were spoon-fed pureed food developed more of a propensity for sweets than did their finger-fed counterparts; the kids who munched finger food, in a process known as "baby-led weaning," showed more interest in carbs like pasta and rice, AFP reports. More»

Chowing down when depressed may just be instinct

(NEWSER) - There’s a reason we gorge on chocolate bars or French fries when we’re down: Fatty foods actually do make us feel better, a study suggests. Scientists in Belgium had subjects look at images of sad people and listen to sad music while being fed through a tube, the Daily Mail reports. Brain scans revealed that those who received a saline solution grew 4% more depressed, while those who got a fatty solution through the tube didn't experience changes in their mood. More»

Users of bigger utensil left more food untouched

(NEWSER) - Looking to eat less? Try bigger utensils. A study compared how much restaurant-goers ate using different forks, one 20% larger than a standard restaurant fork, and the other 20% smaller. Researchers discovered that those who employed the big fork left more food uneaten—7.91 ounces of food compared to 4.43 ounces for the small-forkers, the New York Times reports. The phenomenon may be tied to our eating goals, the researchers say. More»

Study links extra weight to forgetfulness in older women

(NEWSER) - Fat makes women more forgetful, a new study suggests. Researchers found that carrying extra weight negatively affects memory and that "pear-shaped" women—as opposed to "apple shaped"—are hardest hit. The study of more than 8000 post-menopausal women found that for every one-point increase in a woman's BMI, her memory score dropped by one point, notes the BBC . More»

Consumer group issues its annual list

(NEWSER) - The Center for Science in the Public Interest has released its annual list of calorie bombs available at chain restaurants. Among the winners of the "Xtreme Eating Awards":

• Cheesecake Factory's Pasta Carbonara with Chicken: 2,500 calories and 85 grams of saturated fat.
• Five Guys Bacon Cheeseburger: 920 calories and 30 grams of saturated fat. Want fries with that? A large order has 1,500 calories.