Cravings epicentre lies in brain

London, Apr 27 (UNI) Don't blame your biology as the impulse for eating snacks is all in the mind.

According to the comman belief cravings are result of body's biological needs, that a vitamin or mineral in the food we yearn for is missing from our diet and needs replacing.

''There is no evidence that food cravings are linked to nutritional deficiencies,'' said Professor Peter Rogers of Bristol University.

''The food we crave are those we usually attempt to resist as they induce guilty feelings when we eat them. If we try to resist something, though, the urge for it doesn't go away, it actually becomes amplified,'' stated Prof Rogers.

According to a recent study, food cravings are emotionally or psychologically driven.

Researchers proved that women who tried to suppress thoughts about their favourite fattening food ended up eating 50 per cent more of it than those who talked about their cravings, Timesonline reported.

''There was a 'rebound effect'. It was known that when you suppress a thought, you end up thinking about it more,'' said Dr James Erskine from the Hertfordshire University.

The study also showed that comfort-food cravings were a response to chronic stress. According to scientists at the University of California, stress stimulates a flood of hormones that prompt 'pleasure-seeking' eating patterns such as consuming high amounts of fatty and sugary foods.

Study revealed that there were huge cross-cultural differences in the kind of foods we crave. The foods most commonly craved within each society were those associated with preconceived attitudes.

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