Entertaining TV programs make you eat, study finds

A Study says that entertaining shows makes one eat more than usual.

People eat more when they are glued to the television, and the more entertaining the program, the more they eat, according to research presented on Saturday.

Dr. Alan Hirsch, neurological director of the Smell and Taste Treatment and Research Foundation in Chicago theorizes that the distracted brains do not notice what the mouth is doing. He explored the how the smell, taste and eating behaviors are affected when watching TV, he used an example measuring potato chip consumption.

In this experiment forty five volunteers ate as many chips as they wanted during five minute intervals over three week periods while they watched late night talk show hosts David Letterman and Jay Leno. They were also given chips when the TV was off.

"If you can concentrate on how the food tastes you'll eat less because you'll feel full faster," Hirsch said in an interview at the Endocrine Society's annual meeting in Toronto.

Hirsch said the same food that tastes less, when the brain is distracted; it forces them to eat more.

Dr. Hirsh through his foundation helps people overcome the loss of sense and taste sensation, which leads to weight gain when the brain does not know when it should stop eating.

The ventromedial nucleus in the hypothalamus, where the so-called satiety center is located, tells the body whether it is hungry or full. If it is inhibited or tricked, the result can be changes in eating patterns, he said.

He compares this to cooking spaghetti all day; people who cook them don’t eat spaghetti all day. Thus it advises the hypothalamus that it is full, so they don’t eat spaghetti throughout the day.

At each session, volunteers are forced to concentrate on the sensory characteristics of the food such as taste and smell. By concentration it tells the body that it is full. But when distracted, a person doesn’t concentrate on the sensory characteristics of the food end up eating more in the process.

Previously many studies linked obesity to watching television, the main reason given was inactivity, but with Dr. Hirsh study, entertaining shows are also contributing.

"If you want to lose weight, turn off the television or watch something boring," he said.

The study helps, when watching good entertaining shows, it is better to keep the fridge locked. Did you notice this pattern when watching TV?

Ref: Reuters