overeating

Tired Brain Makes Us Overeat, but There's a Fix

Quick workout after mental activity seems to do the trick

(Newser) - Feel like stuffing your face after a grueling day at the office? Try exercising instead. A new study suggests that exercise keeps you from chowing down on more than your body needs after a tough mental task. Previous research has shown that people eat more after such tasks, like tests... More »

Study: Dining in Silence Could Reduce Overeating

It seems hearing yourself chew is actually important

(Newser) - The hot new dieting fad could soon be eating in complete silence. A new study from researchers at Brigham Young and Colorado State found that people who can hear the sounds of their own eating—chewing, swallowing, and so forth—tend to eat less. Ergo, listening to music or watching... More »

Being Tired May Make You as Munchy as a Pot Smoker

Being Tired May Make You Snack Like a Pot Smoker

When sleep-deprived, brain may release more of chemical that keeps you snacking

(Newser) - If you've wondered why you nosh like crazy after a night of tossing and turning, scientists think they've figured it out: Your brain may compensate for the lack of sleep by releasing chemicals similar to those that pot smokers breathe in, resulting in the tired person's version... More »

Messy Kitchens May Tempt Us to Overeat

Study suggests you may not want to leave that sink full of dishes

(Newser) - Research has already suggested that people in neat work environments are more likely to opt for a healthy snack than people in cluttered ones. "Messy rooms are, sort of, enabling people to break free from what's expected of them," one researcher from that 2013 study tells NPR... More »

In the Presence of Women, Guys Stuff Their Faces

Women, meanwhile, feel more rushed when eating with men

(Newser) - In what is likely an attempt to "show off," men eat more in the presence of women than in front of other men, according to new research out of Cornell University . In fact, in the study published this month in the journal Evolutionary Psychological Science , researchers say that... More »

Young Woman 'Eats Herself to Death' at Care Facility

Kirsty Derry had a rare disorder called Prader Willi Syndrome

(Newser) - A young Englishwoman has died from overeating and may not have been properly treated for her unusual eating disorder, Fox News reports. Kirsty Derry lived at an assisted living home that had alarms on the fridge and cupboards to stop her from gorging. But the alarms were taken away in... More »

Are Action Movies Making Us Fat?

Genre linked to heavy snacking: study

(Newser) - If you're looking to lose weight, you may want to consider your movie diet … especially when it comes to action flicks. We seem to have a particular problem with overeating during such films, a study suggests. Researchers asked 94 students to watch one of three programs: The Ewan... More »

Overeating Taking Bigger Toll Than Food Shortages

Non-infectious diseases now more of a threat than infectious ones: report

(Newser) - It's a worldwide first: Today, eating too much is more of a health threat than food shortages. On a global scale, overeating costs more years of healthy life than does undernutrition, according to a massive new study. The Global Burden of Disease 2010 report compares illnesses and causes of... More »

Overeating? Blame Your Body's Marijuana Chemicals

Fatty foods trigger chemicals that tell us to eat more

(Newser) - Can't stop eating French fries? Blame the marijuana-like chemicals in your own body. A new study shows that eating fatty foods triggers the body to produce such chemicals, which in turn make you want to eat more fatty foods. Endocannabinoids, which are similar to the chemicals contained in marijuana,... More »

To Eat Less, Imagine Eating More

Counter-intuitive study says thinking about overeating prevents the real thing

(Newser) - Imagining eating lots of food could help you hold back from actually doing it , a new study suggests. It seems weird, but previous studies have found that trying to suppress thoughts of eating—or indulging in anything—makes you more likely to partake, and makes the sensation of indulgence even... More »

60% of Dogs Overweight ... or Obese

Seems they're having the same problems we are

(Newser) - Dogs are turning into real pigs. A whopping 6 out of 10 dogs were found to be overweight, or—yelp!—obese in a recent study. The reasons are the same ones humans grapple with every day: eating too many table scraps and not getting enough exercise. Researchers also found... More »

We Live Vicariously Through Expert Gluttons

We can't gorge ourselves anymore, but we can watch others do it

(Newser) - The Food Network's Man vs. Food might look like a show about a guy eating way more than seems humanly possible, but it's much, much more, writes Greg Beato. When host Adam Richman dives into, say, a 10-pound hamburger, he's not just showing off—he's eating for the rest of... More »

Overweight? Try the Food Critic Diet

New York's most terrifying critic recalls his weight struggle

(Newser) - Frank Bruni endured a lifelong struggle with his weight, veering close to 300 pounds before getting a handle on it—and going on to a 5-year reign as New York City’s most feared food critic. Though his New York Times job required him to sample the city’s most... More »

Why Our Brains Want What's Bad for Us

(Newser) - Former Food and Drug Administration chief David Kessler thinks Americans are victims of “conditioned hyper-eating,” and he’s written a book about it: The End of Overeating: Taking Control of the Insatiable American Appetite. The Wall Street Journal poked him for some answers about how food can “... More »

Self-Control Is Unnatural: Study

(Newser) - When you wolf down a box of cookies at midnight, it only shows you're being human and relinquishing your self-control, Meredith Small writes on LiveScience. A recent study supports your habit, showing that subjects following the story of a waiter who resists gourmet dishes finally have to eat the same... More »

Obesity Genes Mainly Affect Your Brain

DNA behind appetites, tastes, and how likely we are to feel full: study

(Newser) - Overeating is all in your head, but you can blame that on your DNA, the Times of London reports. Of the seven gene variations connected with obesity, five affect the brain’s wiring, suggesting that an inherited tendency toward slimness has more to do with appetite and impulse control than... More »

Brain Offers a Clue on Why Obese People Eat More

(Newser) - New research takes an accepted truth about obese people and flips it upside down: They may, in fact, get less pleasure out of eating than people of normal weight, the LA Times reports. Researchers found that people who have weaker reward circuitry in the brain tend to overeat. Thus, while... More »