Study: Memories Cause Overeating

Follow-up - INA

Researchers in the United States have found that memories play a major role in determining the amount of food an individual eats, and may be one of the causes of the problem of overeating in some people.

A research team from the Monell Chemical Senses Research Center in the United States found that a group of neurons in the hippocampus area of the brain is responsible for storing memories related to sugars and fats, and that they are directly linked to food consumption and weight gain, and may have a role in ways to treat obesity.

In response to a question about the extent to which memories affect the type and quantity of food that each individual eats, researcher Guillaume de Lartigue, head of the study team, says: The answer to this question is "definitely yes", as the team was able for the first time to identify the food-related memory system in the brain and its direct link to overeating and obesity associated with eating habits.

Researcher de Lartigue says: "Currently, we are constantly exposed to advertising materials and a general climate that aims to remind us of the pleasures of the food experiences we go through."

"What's amazing is that we've identified a specific group of neurons within the hippocampus that not only shape our memories of food, but also drive our eating behaviors, and this neural connection could have tangible implications for body weight and metabolic health," he added.