Inhibition of cravings in men and in women

World wide more women than men suffer from eating disorders and obesity. The following study sheds some light on why that might be the case. A study was done at Brookhaven National Laboratory by Gene-Jack Wang on inhibition of cravings for food in hungry people. A PET scan was used to see the brain activation in people who had been fasting when they were exposed to the sight, smell and taste of their favourite foods. Some subjects were also asked to try to ignore their cravings for food.


The brain scans indicated that men were more successful in inhibiting their cravings. By choosing to ignore the food craving, they could actually suppress their cravings and alter their brain metabolism reducing the activation in their para-limbic and limbic regions of the brain. These areas control awareness of hunger and desire for food. The men reported that they felt less desire for food when they tried to ignore their hunger. The women in the study did not show such a decrease in activation and reported no decrease in hunger no matter how they tried to control the urge. Women’s brains also showed a much greater response to their favourite foods when their brains were imaged. These findings may shed light on the reasons that women struggle to maintain their weight.