If you tried diet and exercise and you still gain pounds, ask yourself whether you are sleeping enough. Swedish researchers studied the effect of sleep deprivation on the brain and found that one area responsible for our reaction to food becameĀ more active after a sleepless night: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120118111740.htm

Most people, who are going on a diet, hear this advice: Stop eating three big meals per day. You will lose more weight if you eat smaller meals five or six times per day.

A new study conducted at Purdue University and published in the Journal Obesity turns this idea on its head. Eating three square meals per day with higher amounts of lean protein turned out to be superior to eating smaller meals.

For the research project, 27 overweight and obese men were divided in two groups: One ate a calorie-restricted high-protein diet for 12 weeks, the other group a normal protein diet with the same amount of calories as the high protein group. Starting at week 7, both groups were again divided into a 3- meals- per- day subgroup and a 6-meals- per- day subgroup. In each condition, the total amount of calorie ā€“intake was the same.

Results: The high protein group felt compared to the normal protein group fuller throughout the day, was less likely to calorie, calories, calorie intakeexperience late night hunger and was less obsessed with thinking about food. Within the high protein group, those who had three big meals had less late evening/ night hunger than those who had smaller meals 6 times per day.

Hence, the researchers recommend eating three high protein meals per day to achieve the individual weight loss goal.

Overweight people just enjoy food more than people of normal weight and thatā€™s the reason why they eat more and gain weight!

You think so? Think again!

Scientists at the Oregon Research Institute compared the brain responses of skinny and overweight people while drinking a milkshake. It turned out that a brain region called dorsal striatum, which the scientists describe as ā€œa dopamine-rich pleasure centerā€ became active. However, that brain region was less active in overweight people than in lean people.

Previous brain scans have already shown that overweight people have fewer dopamine receptors that normal weight people. This difference seems to be caused by genetics.

One of the senior scientists at the Oregon Research Institute concludes, based on the study results, that opposed to common belief obese people get in fact LESS satisfaction from food and to compensate for that they eat more.

More: Oregon Research Institute

Stress is bad for you -there is nothing new about that. Everyone knows that stress could cause heart problems, high blood pressure, stomach ulcers, and headaches. Scientists at the Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia now discovered that stress may also play a role in obesity.

In an experiment, the researchers compared the feeding pattern of socially dominant female rhesus macaques and socially subordinate. The subordinates were exposed to more stress because rhesus macaques maintain group stability through continual harassment and threat of aggression against lower ranking group members.

During the study, the rhesus macaques were given access to a low fat diet and a high fat diet. The researchers found that socially subordinate females consumed significantly more of both the low-fat diet and the high-fat diet throughout a 24-hour period, while socially dominant females ate significantly less than subordinate animals and restricted their feedings to daytime hours.

Result: Overeating subordinate females gained weight. In addition, the researchers found an increased level of the hormone cortisol in their blood, which could set them on the track to diabetes.

In further studies, the researchers will attempt to determine whether there is a link between brain areas associated with reward and satisfaction and appetite signals. Hypothetically, it could be that we are kind of “programmed” to eat more when we are under psychological stress, and then, for a “stress eater” it will beĀ much harder to stick to a diet.

Read more: http://www.whsc.emory.edu/press_releases2.cfm?announcement_id_seq=14225

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