Does Our Mental State Affect Our Hunger Levels?
Online, April 4, 2012 (Newswire.com) - Who hasn't thought a cookie or bowl of ice cream would make us feel better? A Yale University study conducted last May decided to delve into this. The researchers suggested that people's state of mind influences how they react physiologically to food. To test their theory, the study focused on levels of the "hunger hormone" ghrelin, which stimulates the appetite and hunger. Ghrelin levels typically increase before meals and decrease after. When ghrelin levels are high, the more likely a person is to overeat.
Study participants were given a 380-calorie milkshake; half were told it was a 620-calorie "indulgent" shake; the other half were told it was a 140-calorie "sensible" shake. The researchers found that those who drank the former had a dramatically steeper decline in ghrelin afterwards. Those who drank the latter had a flat ghrelin response. The responses were consistent with what would be observed had the calories actually been that high or low. However, hunger levels showed little difference after either drink.
"This study shows that mindset can affect feelings of physical satiety," said lead author Alia Crum, a Yale psychologist. "The brain was tricked into either feeling full or feeling unsatisfied. That feeling depended on what people believed they were consuming, rather than what they actually were consuming. What was most interesting is that the results were somewhat counterintuitive. Consuming the shake thinking it was 'indulgent' was healthier than thinking it was 'sensible.' It led to a sharper reduction in ghrelin."
"The study reinforces that it is important to enjoy your food," say boomer generation health experts Dian Griesel, Ph.D., and Tom Griesel, authors of the new books TurboCharged: Accelerate Your Fat Burning Metabolism, Get Lean Fast and Leave Diet and Exercise Rules in the Dust (April 2011, BSH) and The TurboCharged Mind (January 2012, BSH). "We need to first choose foods that support health. Then we have to mentally re-position them as especially enjoyable because they are not only satisfying hunger but also nutritional needs. The challenge becomes knowing what is truly health promoting and what is not."
Source: http://turbocharged.us.com/mind-over-matter/
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