Vohs, K.D., et al. Psychol Sci. July2013.

Small, daily rituals performed just before eating food may enhance the taste of the food we eat. Researchers tested whether ritualistic behaviors potentiate and enhance consumption of chocolates, lemonade and carrots. They found that participants who performed a prescribed "ritual" rated food more highly, savored it more and were willing to pay more for the food than the group that did not perform the pre-meal ritual. The researchers suggest that rituals enhance the enjoyment of consumption because of the greater involvement in the experience that they prompt.

Substantial evidence suggests that skipping breakfast is associated with excess adiposity in children and adolescents. Ironically, the average calorie intake among breakfast consumers generally exceeds that of breakfast skippers by 200 to 400 kcal/day. The effect of breakfast on physical activity (PA) has not been thoroughly explored; therefore, researchers explored the associations between breakfast consumption, adiposity, and typical dietary intake and PA in a sample of adolescent girls. They found that among the predominantly minority girls affected by overweight, eating breakfast more frequently was associated with higher levels of PA and lower levels of adiposity among minority girls.

 

Tuulari, J.J., et al. Diabetes. March 2013.

Obesity and insulin resistance are associated with altered brain glucose metabolism. Evidence from animal studies shows that insulin enters brain tissue via receptor-mediated transport, and receptors for insulin are widely expressed in the central nervous system (CNS). Thus, insulin has the potential to act in the CNS. A study of patients affected by obesity aimed to determine whether rapid weight loss after bariatric surgery and a subsequent decrease in peripheral insulin resistance would result in decreased brain glucose metabolism. The researchers found that obesity is associated with increased insulin-stimulated glucose metabolism in the brain and that this abnormality can be reversed by bariatric surgery. This study supports the contention that bariatric surgery not only results in weight loss but also improves overall metabolic health, which might include the brain.