couple eating a meal (Photo : Reuters)
Women's brains respond more positively to non-verbal romantic cues when their stomachs are full, than when they are hungry, based on the findings of a new study. This fact was true among "historical" dieters who dieted in the past, and ones who had never reduced their intake of calories by going on a diet.
The study was conducted by researchers at Drexel University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (United States). It was published in the journal Appetite.
A total of 20 women participated in the study, according to Latinos Health. Half of the women were historical dieters, and the other 10 were non-dieters. The participants were all college-age women with normal weights.
During the testing, women were shown romantic photos such as a couple. They also viewed neutral photographs such as a bowling ball.
The study examined the brain circuitry of hungry and full women. After eating, more brain activation occurred in certain regions of the brain linked to rewards, after the volunteers were shown pictures with romantic images, according to Business Standard. It was true among dieters and non-dieters.
Alice Ely, a PhD student at Drexel said that the study's findings were different from many similar studies. In them the subjects had a higher sensitivity to rewarding stimuli with an empty stomach. Such stimuli included food and money.
In a previous study published in 2014, Ely and her research team examined how historical dieters' and non-dieters' brains responded differently to food cues. Dieters had a greater reward response.
Ely explained that longitudinal studies (long-term with same subjects) have shown that historical dieters are more likely to gain weight. Their brains' circuitry could be programmed to desire food more than non-dieters'.
Based on the prior study, the scientists' hypothesis was that the reward-sensitivity of the historical dieters changed after eating. So they compared their brain activation when looking at a romantic picture versus a neutral image, in both a fed and fasted state.
Researchers used MRI testing to collect data. Both dieters' and non-dieters' got "in the mood" after being fed. However, the neural activity of the historical dieters was much different from the non-dieters in one particular brain area.
