Body Mass Index Study: Fat People Smell Better

(istockphoto)

(CBS) Are fat people better at sniffing out food?

That's the suggestion of a new study from England. It found that overweight people - those with a high body-mass index (BMI) - are better at detecting to food odors than people with a low BMI.

And high-BMI types have even greater "olfactory acuity" after they've eaten that before, according to the study. In other words, they're still open to temptation by pleasant aromas even if they have a full belly.

Is that why overweight people have such trouble fighting off temptation - that they're tempted by food aromas thin people can't even smell?

The study involved 24 nonsmokers between 18 and 49 years of age. It was conducted at the University of Portsmouth and published in the journal Chemical Senses.

The body mass index can give a good indication of whether a person is overweight. A BMI of 18.5 to 24.9 is considered normal. A BMI over 30 is considered obese.

If you'd like to calculate your BMI, click here.

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So they're fat because they can smell more food. Makes sense I suppose.

Now a dig at the misleading headline: fat people do not smell better (usually the opposite). The correct wording would be, "fat people have better sense of smell."