A study published in the Journal of Neuroscience indicates that differences in the build of human brains might be responsible for some individuals’ inability to stick to their diet.
This again goes to prove that despite being the same in nature, all humans are unique in some ways. The study goes to show how different volumes of gray matter in different regions of the brain affect self-control and thus influence success or failure of a weight loss diet. Most importantly, this research gives hope for possible new treatments of dangerous eating disorders.
Why Can’t Some People Stick to Their Diet, According to Study?
The study explores not the individual’s diet but the neuroscience behind their food choices. Basically, it can be explained that everyone might want to eat something unhealthy or too much. However, some people have a better resistance to this desire. This is caused not by psychology but by actual neurologic impulses in the brain. And whether one falls to the temptation or makes a healthful food choice depends on the volume of grey matter in areas of the brain called dlPFC and vmPFC.
People with this physiological trait are able to prioritize healthfulness over taste more efficiently thus they have more self-control and can stick to the diet. This gives researchers who are looking for ways to treat eating disorders a lot of hope. If they manage to develop medications capable of targeting these areas of the brain, they might be able to effectively help people with anorexia and other devastating illnesses. This is also a huge promise for the treatment of obesity, which currently affects over 50% of the planet’s population (OECD report).
How Does One Stick to the Diet Without Any Treatments?
Despite the fact that this study provided some groundbreaking results, it didn’t disprove the good-old willpower. While the anatomy of the brain makes it easier for some people to exert self-control in food choices, the rest of the populace can make these choices too. They simply require much harder work.
That’s why it’s essential to make the task as easy as possible for oneself. The best plan for sticking to the diet is to first ask what can I eat to lose weight? Next one should choose which of these foods they like most and develop a diet that will be centered around them.
The neuroscience of ‘healthful’ vs. ‘tasty’ food choices explored by the new study doesn’t differentiate between ‘healthy’ vs. ‘unhealthy’. This is more of a case of ‘this doesn’t taste that great, but it’s good for the body’ vs. ‘I love this thing because it’s delicious’.
Nowhere does it state that the healthful food cannot be loved and delicious. For example, fresh fruits are great for the body and eating them regularly helps lose weight and prevent obesity. Yet they are sweet and tasty. Unless laden with some high-fat or high-sugar seasonings, a fruit salad is a fantastically delicious and healthful dessert one can indulge without guilt.
The trick of sticking to the diet regardless of whether one is biologically predisposed to this is developing a diet that’s easy to stick to. This won’t be easy and some people will break down on an occasional binge more than others. However, with good meal planning and a bit of willpower, every person can achieve their weight loss goals and become healthier and happier.
