Study Explains Why People Eat More Junk Food Late-Night
By KYW medical editor Dr. Brian McDonough
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - Do you find yourself snacking very often in the evening?
Well, according to a report in the journal Brain Imaging and Behavior, people may over-consume food in the evening because it may not be as appealing, and it takes more to fill the perceived need for calories.
Researchers used functional magnetic resonance imaging studies to look at the brain activity of study volunteers as they were shown 360 images of low-calorie food and high-calorie foods.
The participants were shown these images, once in the morning and once in the evening. The researchers found that the high-calorie foods consistently had a positive response, whatever time of day, but they were surprised to find that when images were shown of low-calorie foods in the evening, the functional MRI showed a decreased response for low-calorie foods when compared to high-calorie foods.
Basically, the low-calorie foods were just not as appealing in the evening.