Gender Differences in starvation Control
When it comes to diets and the ability to stay with them, there are gender differences in the capacity to manage and control appetite. The obesity rate is up for both men and women in that country. However, percentage wise the obesity rate is even higher for women.
Supression of starvation is more difficult for women than it is for men. that is the subject of a recent study done by Gene-Jack Wang of Brookhaven National Laboratory aimed at finding out why some public gain weight and others don’t in response to overeating.
Within the study, there were 13 women and 10 men needed to fast ovenight and soon after brain scans were done to determine how their brains reacted to their favorite foods. In addition to the fasting, they were taught a technique called cognitive inhibition to quell thoughts of eating.
The men and women both reported subjectively that their starvation was decreased. However, brain scans showed high activity in response to food in the women’s brains but the activity of the starvation centers for the men actually decreased.
Theories for that difference note that women may be biologically wired to eat when food is available in addition to how female hormones react with the starvation center in the brain. The purpose of that study was to come up with a meaningful treatment in combatting obesity. The emphasis should be on controlling food desires and our reactions to food.
Gender differences show that women are even more tempted by tasty food presented to them and are more prone to overeat in reaction to emotional distress. The more knowledge we have on how our brains reply to food stimulus, the better equipped we will be on how to suppress our desire to overeat for reward or to calm emotional distress.
Original post by EatingToLive
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