TORONTO (Reuters) - People eat more when they are glued to the
television, and the more entertaining the programme, the more they
eat, according to research presented on Saturday.
It seems that distracted brains do not notice what the mouth is
doing, said Dr. Alan Hirsch, neurological director of the Smell and
Taste Treatment and Research Foundation in Chicago.
Hirsch explored the impact of smell, taste and eating behaviours
while watching TV by measuring potato chip consumption.
Forty-five volunteers ate as many chips as they wanted during
five-minute intervals over three-week periods while they watched
monologues by late-night talk show hosts David Letterman and Jay
Leno.
They also were given chips to eat when the television was
off.
Hirsch found people ate an average of 44 percent more chips while
watching Letterman and 42 percent more while viewing Leno, than
when they did not watch TV.
"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.
"So if that's the case, let's look at the opposite. What if you're
distracted? If you're distracted, in theory, then you'd eat
more."
Through his research at the foundation, Hirsch has helped people
overcome the loss of sense and taste sensation, which typically
results in weight gain because the brain does not know when it
should stop eating.
The ventromedial nucleus in the hypothalamus, where the so-called
satiety centre 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.
"People who cook spaghetti all day don't fell like eating spaghetti
at the end of the day," said Hirsch. "By being exposed to a smell
all day long it's tricking the hypothalamus."
At each session, volunteers were asked to concentrate on the
sensory characteristics of the food such as taste and smell.
Researchers say these sensory clues, in addition to internal body
changes, signal satiety.
But when distracted, a person does not pay attention to either the
body's sensations of feeling full, or to the sensory
characteristics of the food.
Many studies have linked obesity to watching television and that
link is likely due to inactivity, Hirsch said. But perhaps
entertaining shows are also contributing.
"If you want to lose weight, turn off the television or watch
something boring," he said.
