How TV ads make you fat

Can TV ads for greasy, cheesy foods actually make you consume more calories? Yes, according to a new study—and the heavier you are now, the more likely it is that food ads will trigger you to eat even more.

The evidence is pretty compelling: Overweight and healthy-weight adolescents were scanned by MRIs that examined the brain responses to commercials, according to researchers at Dartmouth. In all of the adolescents, the brain regions involved in attention and focus were more strongly active when viewing food commercials than other types of commercials. But the overweight teens were more powerfully affected, particularly in the regions that control pleasure, taste and even the actions of the mouth.

In fact, the study authors believe that overweight teens may be so deeply impacted by food ads that their mouths actually simulate eating while watching them! To break the cycle, the editors at Eat This, Not That! have compiled a series of strategies that can help you turn the tide, and actually lose weight while watching TV. Here are their six best tips:

Slim Down Strategy #6: Record Your Favorite Shows
–and only watch those shows. There’s nothing wrong with enjoying a great series, but making a regular habit of sitting and staring at a screen for an entire evening is a great way to pack on the pounds. One study in the journal JAMA, for example, followed more than 50,000 middle-age women for six years. For every two hours spent watching TV each day, women had a 23 percent higher risk of becoming obese and a 14 percent higher risk of developing diabetes. A more recent analysis of similar studies found that for every two hours spent watching TV, the risk of developing diabetes, developing heart disease, and early death increased by 20, 15 and 13 percent, respectively. Limit your TV watching to shows you love and make sure you balance that time with more active hobbies that will help you stay fit.

– Yahoo Health

Category: Health alert, Top Story