If sweet things are your weakness and eating them gets in the way of you getting in shape for the summer, there is an easy trick that can control your appetite for sweets.
The method was discovered by scientists at the Columbia University in New York. They claim that you can manipulate your brain so that you can enjoy something sweet, but at the same time not go overboard with the sugar.
The result was found after experiments with mice and the experiments have shown that the center in our brain, which is responsible for the taste perception - the amygdala, can be deceived.
The amygdala processes information from different tastes - sweet, savory, bitter and sour. When we eat chocolate or other sweets, this center of the brain makes us feel pleasure and makes us overindulge in treats.
However, research has shown that there is a clear division between the parts of the cerebral cortex and each taste is perceived by a different area in the amygdala. The nerve cells from the tongue send signals to a specific part of the brain.
It has also been found that the area responsible for the perception of sweet and the area responsible for the perception of bitterness are very close to each other and can be manipulated.
However, the reaction when we eat something sweet is radically different from the reaction when we eat something bitter. While sweets provoke greed, bitterness makes us stop.
So, if you have decided to eat a quarter of your favorite chocolate and do not want to go overboard after eating this amount of sugar, eat something bitter. This way, your brain will send signals to put the food aside.
Scientists hope that in the future their method will be developed to be applied to people struggling with obesity.
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