An Insta-nightmare! Just looking at #foodporn can lead to weight-gain
In case you may not have noticed, we enjoy Instagram for the food possibly more than the fashion.
Although, that really depends on the day that’s in it, but at SHEmazing we find it hard not to double tap any time we see a pretty foodie snap. For example, this beautiful cake:
Or indeed, cheesecake of all sizes:
So almost every time we open the app we are left feeling practically ravenous, and that’s before we’re even close to lunch time!
While many believe that scrolling through some #foodporn is just harmless fun, a new study has made us all regret following that last pastry chef immediately.
A new study in the journal Brain and Cognition suggests we may have been using Instagram wrong: "Regular exposure to virtual foods nowadays, and the array of neural, physiological, and behavioral responses linked to it, might be exacerbating our physiological hunger way too often.”
Basically, seeing everybody and their pug post pictures of their meals encourages you to feast every time they feast regardless of whether you are actually hungry or not.
If you spend too much time scrolling through a food-heavy Instagram feed you could end up eating excess calories that contribute to weight gain.
Apparently, even seeing images of food can physically affect you, making you salivate, messing with insulin levels, and even shaking up your heart rate. This is all in anticipation of eating the food you see on screen.
The study is not all bad news though. Eating habits are quite complicated and vary from person to person, so you may not need to unfollow every pizzeria on social media.
However, the study does draw attention to the link between those staring at mouth-watering looking recipes all day every day and their weight-gain.
