Obesity Changes Your Eating Habits

Obesity may change the types of foods you choose, according to an article published online in Molecular Psychiatry. Researchers at the National Institutes of Health examined brain scans of 43 participants. Obese individuals showed alterations in the function of dopamine, a brain chemical associated with pleasure, which led to overeating and made food less gratifying but more habit-forming. Researchers concluded that environmental cues such as smells and marketing may affect a heavier person more, compared with a slimmer individual, and increase his or her susceptibility to select and overconsume unhealthful foods.