THE TEMPTATION OF "HEDONIC EATING."
The Osgood File. Sponsored in part by Barbasol Shaving Cream. Start your day with Barbasol, America's leader for a close shave. Close Shave America, Close Shave Barbasol. This is Charles Osgood.
There are two main reasons we eat. One is that we need the nourishment. The other is that we get pleasure out of it - enough pleasure, in fact, to get many of us into trouble.
SOT - Dr. Spryos Mezitis, an endocrinologist at New York's Lenox Hill Hospital
"This type of eating - which is called 'hedonic eating' - is a cause for obesity." (:07)
Scientists now have a better understanding of the chemistry involved with hedonic eating and why it can be dangerous. That story after this...
((( BREAK )))
There's a chemical reason behind "hedonic eating" - eating for pleasure, as opposed to hunger - according to researchers in Italy.
There are chemicals that trigger the hormones - or neurotransmitters - that regulate reward mechanisms.
SOT - Dr. Spryos Mezitis
"These chemicals are chemicals that stimulate appetite - they stimulate you to eat more. So, eating something sweet made your body want more of it." (:11)
Dr. Spyros Mezitis is an endocrinologist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York.
Here in the United States - with so many temptations - it's no wonder obesity is such a problem.
The researchers found that the more hedonic eating you do today, the more you'll want to do tomorrow.
SOT - Dr. Spryos Mezitis
"And they found that these chemicals were increased in the patients who did the hedonic eating - who were eating more than they needed to eat..." (:09)
No kidding. That may seem obvious, but endocrinologists say it's really helpful.
SOT - Dr. Spryos Mezitis
"It opens the door to more research into figuring out how to block these appetite stimulants. Because these chemicals are increasing - causing you to eat more - if we can then figure out how to block these chemicals, then we wouldn't be eating as much." (:19)
Surely, we could make hedonic eating go away
if we made hot fudge sundaes taste like broccoli rabe.
We'd make the world more healthy if some way could be found
to change the broccoli, as well ... the other way around.
The Osgood File. This is Charles Osgood on the CBS Radio Network. |
|
|
