Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Obesity Counseling Should Stress Brain, Not Willpower: Study

WEDNESDAY, Aug. 3 (HealthDay News) -- Obesity counseling should focus on neurobehavioral processes -- the ways the brain controls eating behavior in response to biological and environmental factors -- instead of personal choice and willpower, researchers suggest.
The team at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago outlines their new counseling approach in the August issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association.
"Typically, overweight and obese patients receive education about dietary contributions to weight gain, and they are simply encouraged to fight the powerful urge to eat the delicious foods that are available almost everywhere in the environment, and instead, make dietary choices consistent with weight loss," lead author Brad Appelhans, a clinical psychologist and obesity researcher, said in a university news release.
"Yet, we know this approach rarely works. Even highly motivated and nutritionally informed patients struggle to refrain from highly palatable foods that are high in sugar, salt and unhealthy fats," Appelhans continued.
More....Yahoo news

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