If a woman has an extra piece of cake, don't blame it on greed, blame it on her brain.
Scientists have found that women’s brains react to food very differently- and much more strongly - than men's. Academics found that decades of dieting pressure on women and advertising have programmed certain parts of the female brain to react strongly when faced with any kind of food.
Dr. Rudolf Uher and his colleagues at the Institute of Psychiatry in King's College London used brain scanning technology, known as functional magnetic resonance imaging(FMRI), to look at the brains of eighteen men and women.
The same reaction did not happen when they were shown non-food images. The team believed this means women think more about food than men tend to.
Dr. Uher said, ''This could be related to biological differences between men and women.
Professor Carey Cooper, psychology and health professor at Lancaster University, said, ''For centuries women have had a providing role - preparing and cooking food for their families. And it is part of that role to make sure the food is safe. They will therefore be much more sensitive to food than men are, and I would not be surprised if that was now built into their DNA. If the female brain react to food because it historically has developed neural (神经的)pathways to do this, then food will be the way they express their stress.
But other experts have said that more research must be done before the results can be proved. American scientist Angelo del Parigi of the John B. Pierce Laboratory in New Haven, Connecticut, said, ''Looking at an FMRI alone cannot make sure whether the stronger reaction in women is due to innate (天生的) differences or a learned process. ''
A.Men, on the other hand, are not usually as obsessive about what they eat. |
B.And experts are exploring how these biological differences can contribute to human health. |
C.The volunteers were given images of food to look at, as well as food to taste. |
D.But the more likely explanation is that women have a more complicated reaction to food because of social pressure. |
E.Food actually, is a comfort for women. |
F.If a woman is always asking whether she's fat, it's because her food thoughts are mostly related to dieting. |