Scientists Seek Answers about the Problem of Emotional Eating

In theory, the process of shedding excess pounds should be easy. If one simply eats less and expends more energy through exercise and other activities, the unwanted weight should gradually begin to come off. The universal laws of physics dictate that this must be the case.

But anyone who has ever gone to bat in the battle of the bulge knows that it isn?t always that simple. Physical needs aside, human beings are enormously complex creatures who don?t always act in their own best interest. Decades of research have shown that hunger is not the only impulse that controls our eating patterns. Often, the food that we crave has more to do with psychology than biology.

One problem that many overweight people have to face before they can be successful in their weight loss efforts is the issue of emotional eating. Many of us have developed unhealthy eating habits that compel us to turn to food as a source of comfort or a coping mechanism, rather than just as a source of nutrition.

These detrimental eating patterns can be extremely difficult to overcome. In recent years, scientists the world over have made significant inroads into cracking the case of emotional eating. This week, we?ll survey some of the most significant recent research findings that have emerged from this field of study.

Study Shows Emotional Eaters to be at High Risk of Regaining Lost Weight

In some instances, people with emotional eating issues are able to overcome their impulses to binge on unhealthy foods and succeed in their weight loss efforts. However, a recent study conducted by scientists at the Miriam Hospital's Weight Control & Diabetes Research Center indicates that individuals with past histories of emotional eating patterns are especially prone to relapsing and regaining weight that they have worked hard to lose.

The study compared the eating habits of two groups of subjects. One group was comprised of people who reported that they tended to overeat in response to external events, such as parties, holidays, and other celebrations. The other group of people was comprised of experimental subjects who had past histories of emotional overeating.

Not only did the emotional eaters lose less weight in the course of the study?s diet component, but they also tended to regain more of the weight that they had lost in comparison to those in the ?external event overeaters? group. The authors concluded that the issue of emotional eating should play a central role in the development of future methods of treatment, prevention, and intervention for weight loss.

Inability to Discuss Emotions Found to be Linked to Binge Eating Disorder in Obese Women

A recent study conducted by an interdisciplinary team of scientists at the Research Center for Psychopathology at the Universit? Toulouse Le Mirail and the Department of Nutrition at the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire in Strasbourg, France assessed the emotional root causes of overeating. The researchers sought to determine whether women who self-identified as emotional eaters often experienced troubling episodes that kicked off periods of overeating.

The results of the study indicated that many of the overweight women who were emotional overeaters also suffered from an emotional disorder known as alexithymia. This disorder is characterized by extreme difficulty in identifying, processing, understanding, and describing their emotional states.

The study results identified a very strong statistical correlation between alexithymia, emotional overeating, and binge eating. This finding prompted the researchers to conclude that treatment for emotional overeating and binge eating should also include screening and treatment for alexithymia.

When Emotional Eaters Ignore Their Cravings, Binges May Enter the Picture

The conventional wisdom on dieting holds that people looking to shed excess pounds should fight their cravings for treats, sweets, snacks, and comfort foods. It has long been believed that giving into one?s cravings can trigger a wave of overeating that could lead to even more weight gain.

However, according to the results of a recent study conducted by researchers at Cornell University, the reverse may actually be closer to the truth. When people who self-identify as emotional eaters ignore their food cravings for long periods of time, they are actually more likely to fall prey to binges. On the other hand, when they gave into their cravings, focusing on healthy food substitutions and moderate serving sizes, binges were often averted.

The researchers acknowledge that more investigation is needed, but they assert that these findings may offer new insight into the way that dieters are counseled to deal with their persistent food cravings.

If emotional eating is a roadblock in your path to a healthy weight, talk to your doctor or a licensed nutritionist to develop a personalized eating and behavior plan that will be effective. Please be sure to check back each week for the diet research news you need to succeed.

Researchers Investigate the Mysteries of Appetite

The human appetite is a wondrous thing. The quest to sate its demands has been the source and inspiration for the hundreds of different cuisine traditions that have blossomed all around the world. The ceremonial feasts that play such a big part in our special occasions and our everyday experiences -- from breakfast in bed to the traditional Thanksgiving day spread -- all underscore the primacy of the human appetite in our lives.

But for dieters who are trying to shed excess pounds, the persistence of the appetite can be a frustrating obstacle. It often seems that the moment you start to restrict certain fattening or otherwise unhealthy foods, maddening cravings dominate your thoughts. Keeping calories to the recommended low can lead to a distracting day of tummy rumbles. The appetite is a stubborn creature of habit, and in the midst of our well-intentioned efforts to get healthy, it often seems to be conspiring against us.

Because mastering the appetite is a central part of weight loss success, scientists around the world are engaged in an ongoing research effort to crack the mysteries of hunger, cravings, and taste preferences. This week, we'll take a look at three recent studies that have delved into the confounding puzzle of the human appetite -- and yielded some surprising results.

Scientists Identify Key Appetite-Control Centers in Brain; New Obesity Treatment in the Works

For decades, researchers have debated whether nature or nurture exerted the strongest influence over the human appetite. Is it our brains or our environment that dictate our hunger and cravings?

Recently, scientists in the UK have made a breakthrough that may help solve this longstanding conundrum. According to a study conducted by researchers at University College and King's College, both in London, the basic activities that control the human appetite can be pinpointed within a very specific region of the brain.

Using advanced imaging techniques, the researchers traced the activities of the hormone peptide YY in the brain. The scientists developed a nasal spray containing the substance that may be used as an anti-obesity drug.

The experimental subjects who were treated with the hormone peptide YY ate an average of 25% less than their counterparts who were given a placebo. Although more testing is needed to verify the safety and efficacy of the drug, the researchers say that this finding may offer hope in the global war against obesity.

For Many, Perception of Portion Size Plays a Major Role in Appetite

They say that some people have eyes that are bigger than their stomachs. According to Cornell University researcher Brian Wansink, this phenomenon may actually impact the regulation of our appetites.

In a recent experiment, Wansink and his research team sought to assess whether people's perception of portion size affected their appetites. To test this, the team created a special "bottomless" bowl of soup that contained a much greater quantity of food than it appeared to.

Sure enough, the experiment's results indicated that food consumption was influenced by the subjects' perception of serving size. The volunteers who ate soup from the special bottomless bowl consumed an average of 75% more food than did their counterparts who ate soup from normal bowls.

Wansink says that the findings reveal the importance of assessing our own sense of fullness when eating, rather than relying on visual cues such as the amount of food left on our plate. By eating mindfully and constantly reassessing our hunger, we can control our caloric intake with much greater precision.

Chewing Gum Found to be Effective as an Appetite Suppressant

For centuries, scientists have searched for substances and compounds that can help control the human appetite. In recent years, some of the appetite-suppressing drugs that were invented were later revealed to have disastrous health consequences.

The results of a recent study released by scientists at Glasgow's Caledonian University in Scotland indicated that a common household treat -- chewing gum -- may be a safe and effective appetite suppressant. Study participants who chewed a piece of gum in the afternoon reduced their caloric intake significantly.

Specifically, the gum-chewing participants ate far fewer sweet snacks than did their counterparts who did not chew gum. The researchers described the results as preliminary, but agreed that this might be a helpful tool for dieters seeking to reduce their food intake.

Talk to your doctor or a licensed nutritionist to devise an appetite-control plan that will work for you. Be sure to check back each week for the diet and weight loss news you need to succeed!