BRAIN TO BLAME FOR OBESITY


Obesity expert Dr Nick Finer explains why more people are getting fatter:

"In the past, when we were hunter-gatherers, our bodies were programmed to eat what we could when we could," said Dr Finer. "We needed to store food because we didn't know where the next meal would come from."

But now that agriculture has delivered plenty, the messages our brains give to our bodies may no longer be appropriate.

"The human brain is very good at telling us we are hungry and need food. But the problem now is that there is always plenty available and the brain is not so good at telling us we have had enough."

Thinking like this absolves people of responsibility for regulating the types and quantities of foods they eat. It probably won't be long before obesity is included in the DSM.