Study: Mens brain fight food urges better

Seattle – According to a recent study on the human brain, men are unconsciously able to resist food urges better than women. The goal of the study was to show why some people continue to eat even if they are full. The stomach sends signals to the brain that indicate fullness, but some people do not have the willpower to stop.

The study tested 13 women and 10 men with PET scans. They were asked about their favorite foods and then required to fast for 20 hours. The researchers then presented the favored foods every 4 minutes and the participants could smell and taste the foods, but not eat them. The participants then had to suppress their craving by ignoring the food thoughts or thinking of something else while scans examined brain activity.

The scan results showed that the men were better at suppressing hunger than women.

The study’s author, Dr. Gene-Jack Wang, thinks that women may have more trouble resisting food temptations because they have to eat more when they are pregnant. He thinks this has to do with evolution and women’s bodies are programmed to grow a baby. Sex hormones play a factor with women.

The results may help explain why women are less likely to lose weight when on a diet and why they are at risk for eating when they are emotional.

The results can help find effective solutions to reducing obesity.

The study is in the current issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences