A new study put together by a team of scientists at Japan's National Institute for Physiological Sciences found that stress can increase appetite.
Analysing a group of mice, researchers activated the neurons in their brains that typically respond to stress. Results found that the mice ate carbohydrates three times faster than unaffected rodents.
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"Many people who eat sweets too much when stressed tend to blame themselves for being unable to control their impulses," says Yasuhiko Minokoshi speaking to AFP.
"But if they know it's because of the neurons, they might not be so hard on themselves."
The news could lead to a major break through in weight control, with researches suggesting they could discover how to reduce appetite.
"If we could find a particular molecule in the neurons and target it specifically to suppress part of its activities, it could curb excessive eating of carbohydrate-heavy food," continues Minokoshi.
Eating habits out of whack? Check out the 8 weird signs you're way too stressed out.
