Background Research:
Food deprivation or not eating, is a familiar approach employed by many who attempt to lose weight. However, this study published in the journal “eLife” reveals that food deprivation can actually encourage overeating in the long run. This counterintuitive response is due to how our bodies remember and process rewards associated with food intake.
When someone deprives themselves of food, their body enters into a state of scarcity. This acute phase has short-term adaptations designed for survival such as increased appetite and a preference for energy-dense foods i.e., high-carbohydrate foods. The body starts recording these high-carbohydrate intakes as highly rewarding experiences that are required to sustain under conditions of scarcity.
If those on diets repeatedly cycle through periods of deprivation (fasting) and abundance (overtaking), it leads the long-term memory to erroneously encode this information about higher carbohydrate consumption being more rewarding than it truly is under normal circumstances.
In essence, what seems like a simple solution – cutting out meals or drastically reducing daily intake – turns out to be detrimental in weight management processes due to psychological dynamics around reward processing.
FAQs:
1. What does this new study reveal about weight loss?
The newly published study in “eLife” negates the common belief that denying yourself food can help with weight loss efforts. Instead, repeated cycles of fasting or drastically reducing your daily intake may lead you to associate high-calorie foods with greater rewards which might increase cravings over time triggering overeating behavior.
2. How does not eating affect our perception of food?
When we enter into prolonged periods without consuming any nourishment – our bodies tend start perceiving energy-giving foods – especially those rich in carbohydrates as highly valuable sources necessary during periods when resources are scarce which encourages frequent indulgence once available fostering an unhealthy cycle that ultimately hinders losing excess weight effectively
3.Do skipping meals contribute towards disproportionate eating habits?
Skipping meals geared towards achieving weight loss affects your body’s long-term memory leading you to remember high carbohydrate intake as particularly rewarding. This, in turn, begets unhealthy eating habits such as overindulgence which can counteract any positive impacts of skipping meals.
4.How should I approach dieting if food deprivation is not helpful?
Instead of drastic measures like skipping meals or fasting regularly that heighten the appeal of high-carbohydrate and fatty foods, moderate balanced diets involving all necessary nutrients can yield sustainable results in the long-run.
5.What role does memory play here?
The body’s long-term memory is responsible for this mechanism; it remembers the energy boost associated with high carbohydrate intake during times of food scarcity. This leads us to find these types of foods more appealing and rewarding when they are consumed after a fasting period.
6.Should we completely stop fasting for weight loss?
The study doesn’t suggest that intermittent fasting or controlled food deprivation isn’t effective, but rather warns about possible psychological effects when done excessively. It just emphasizes the need for balanced and controlled diet plans combined with physical workout regimens to achieve sustainable weight- management goals.
Originamitteilung:
In the long run, food deprivation can facilitate overeating: It causes the long-term memory to remember a high carbohydrate intake as particularly rewarding / publication in “eLife”