Monday, June 04, 2007

Pass the chips, or not


Here's the weight loss tip for 2007 - Stop watching television. I know what you're saying - like, duh, Dr. A, we knew that. Well now there's scientific proof, and it involves late night television.

I'm a Letterman guy myself (image credit). Not that there is anything against Leno. But, being in high school in the late 1980's meant one thing to me - staying up until 12:30am to watch Late Night with David Letterman. What do these guys have to do with a weight loss study? Read on and find out...

According to this Reuters article, researchers at the Smell and Taste Treatment and Research Foundation in Chicago (no joke) took people, potato chips, and television and developed a experiment around it.
Forty-five volunteers ate as many chips as they wanted during five-minute intervals over three-week periods while they watched monologues by late-night talk show hosts David Letterman and Jay Leno.

They also were given chips to eat when the television was off. [Alan] Hirsch [neurological director of the Smell and Taste Treatment and Research Foundation] found people ate an average of 44 percent more chips while watching Letterman and 42 percent more while viewing Leno, than when they did not watch TV.
My question is what potato chips were they using. Because, for me, I'm partial to the BBQ flavor - and maybe salt and vinegar. But, other flavors, not so much....
At each session, volunteers were asked to concentrate on the sensory characteristics of the food such as taste and smell. Researchers say these sensory clues, in addition to internal body changes, signal satiety.

But when distracted, a person does not pay attention to either the body's sensations of feeling full, or to the sensory characteristics of the food. Many studies have linked obesity to watching television and that link is likely due to inactivity, Hirsch said. But perhaps entertaining shows are also contributing.

"If you want to lose weight, turn off the television or watch something boring," he said.
Something boring? I wonder what that means. I'd make some suggestions, but then, I know that dozens of Hollywood attorneys and television producers would be attacking my blog. *cough* Happy TV watching everybody!

10 comments:

DrWes said...

I'll pass. Especially when this Dr. Hirsch's "research foundation" has no board members listed (except himself) on its website and promotes Dr. Hirsch's diet sprinkles and his books. Just click the "Home" button on his website to see what I mean.

Who's funding his work, I wonder? Gullible dieters?

Anonymous said...

Chips... :sigh: the one food most people can just eat one of...

Like you, I"m partial to the BBQ or Salt & Vinegar kind. Wavy ones it i have dip.

But chips are rare in my house. I know of their dangers...

:-D)

coaster1robert said...

Gee DR.A ,waiting untill 12:30 watch letterman,i thought he came on at 11:30?
no wonder people have a weight problem,or problems sleeping. :)

Dr. A said...

Back when Dave worked at NBC, he came on at 12:30 following Carson. There was a big bruhaha about who should take over Carson's show when he retired. When Dave didn't get the Tonight show, he moved to CBS in 1993 and that's when me moved from 12:30 to 11:30.

Needless late night show details (I know), but in case you didn't hear about it at the time...

N=1 said...

OK junk food connoisseurs, what are your thoughts on high fructose corn syrup? I'm reading all sorts of nasties about its use and a possible causative factor in the explosion of type II diabetes and liver degeneration. Any opinions? Does anyone follow a fructose-reduced diet - e.g. no fructose except what occurs naturally in fruit, honey and non-corn based sugar?

On another front, it appears that popcorn butter flavorings are causing massive and severe lung failure problems - Dr. A - one of the prime occupational hazard sites is the Orrville Reddenbacher plant in Marion. Now there is an investigation into whether the flavorings are safe in home microwave popcorn use at all.

ERnursey said...

How many millions of the taxpayers dollars went into this study?

Anonymous said...

Anyone ever heard of adjunctive behavior?

Sparky Duck said...

Thats the good thing about blogging and reading blogs, your fingers are typing and not full of food.

Nikki Neurotic said...

I watch a lot of late night tv because I work nights and after what needs to be done gets done there's not much else to do besides sit and watch tv (or, in my case, read). I try not to do much snacking but again that's hard as often I only eat once (sometimes) twice during the day as I'm sleeping. I've gained a bit of weight, unfortunately.

Anonymous said...

hi dr a great blog

we meet again i've been here b4

you come up quite a lot on the random blog button

take it e.z.

& you're welcome to come by mine if you like

i'm at gledwood2.blogspot

see you later hopefully

all the best

from

gledwood "vol 2"