A study is suggesting that weight loss could be linked to the brain rather than the amount of food that is consumed.
Researchers in Berkeley College, worked with mice that had no smell and mice that did have smell. They thought that the mice with no smell would have less cravings and therefore would eat less and lose weight.
But, the results showed that both groups of mice ate the same amount of food but the mice with no smell lost more weight.
According to The Daily Mail, they fed the two groups of mice the exact same high-fat diet, but the mice with no smell lost 16 percent of their body weight while the other mice gained weight.
They are suggesting that the mice with smell that gained weight through the way the calories were perceived.
Lead author Andrew Dillin said:
“It’s one of the most interesting discoveries to come out of my lab. What’s happening to those calories?
Weight gain isn’t purely a measure of the calories taken in. It’s also related to how those calories are perceived.”
The research team has determined that the signalling between smell and the sympathetic nervous system flows through the hypothalamus.
They plan to conduct further research into the neural signal pathway.
We’re intrigued.
