In June 2012, a study in the journal Obesity examined the effect of pictures of food on the hormone, ghrelin. Ghrelin is a neuropeptide produced by cells of the gastrointestinal tract when the stomach is empty. The role of ghrelin is to act on cells in the hypothalamus to stimulate hunger. Ghrelin also causes secretion of gastric acid to prepare the stomach for food.
During the first week of the study, healthy young men were shown 50 neutral pictures followed by blood tests to measure their ghrelin levels. One week later, the same blood tests were repeated after the men were shown food pictures. Ghrelin levels and perceived hunger increased significantly after the men were shown food pictures versus neutral pictures. This research suggests that our hunger is constantly being stimulated by the sight of food in our environment: billboards, bus stops, supermarket posters, TV advertisements and glossy magazines. Wherever we look, we are likely to see food. As the saying goes, ‘A picture paints a thousand… calories.’ Food porn — those gorgeous, mouthwatering, close up, oozing, intimate, airbrushed food photos — are particularly potent in triggering the release of hormones that stimulate both hunger and pleasure.
People are even more susceptible to the effects of food porn when they’re tired. A study in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism demonstrated that people are more strongly induced to eat in response to food porn when they are sleep deprived.
Does this mean that everyone is doomed to be in a constant state of hunger?
This presentation examines the effect of food porn on our physiology and brain chemistry, and its contribution to obesity. It also discusses the antidote to being enticed to eat by images of beguiling bagels. The steps include awareness, substitute-visualisation, physical movement and a regular good night’s sleep.