For many of us, making the right food choice is only part of the weight management solution.  Portion control and not overeating is is also very important (See how to portion control on our website page on DIET) .  Even too much of a good thing – is just NOT good!

So what makes one person overeat on any one occasion?  As reported in Nutrition Action Healthletter October 2012, researchers did a meta-analysis of 23 studies that measured how much people ate and found that alcohol, sleep deprivation, and TV watching often create what they called an “obesogenic environment”.  Among the possible explanations was that these things all boost levels of ghrelin, a hormone that stimulates appetite.  In addition, alcohol, sleep deprivation and watching palatable food images on TV may impair our inhibitions and intensify the response to food in the brain’s reward center.

For those who want to stop overeating, cut back on alcohol and TV and make sure you get enough sleep.

Am. J. Clin. Nutr. DOI:10.3945/ajcn.112.039750.