Obesity is a big issue that is affecting the world today. Obesity is mostly caused by abnormal eating habits, which include overeating, but little is known about what causes overeating. To further understand the behaviors that lead to overeating and obesity, scientists from the Centre for Genomic Regulation and the Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona, Spain conducted research on mice. There findings were published in Addiction Biology.

The scientists put the mice in an environment where they are only fed high calorie foods. Their diet consisted of chocolate bars and their normal food. As the mice started to gain more weight, they started to become addicted to chocolate and started binge-eating it. They would eat the chocolate over their normal food, even though they were more full from eating their own food. Their new binge eating habits also changed their eating schedule. They started eating during the day, rather than at night.

In conclusion, this research made scientists aware that some people can be trapped in a binge eating state which can lead to obesity. Obesity is not just a metabolic disease, but is caused by behavioral issues. This research is helpful because people can now take preventative measures and go to therapy to change these eating habits. This research is very interesting because it can help solve obesity issues. To learn more about obesity behaviors and treatment, click here and here. 

Striped Field Mouse

 

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