“Betcha can’t eat just one!” For obese people trying to lose
weight, the Lays potato chip advertising slogan hits a bit too close to home as
it describes the daily battle to resist high calorie foods.
But new research by Terry Davidson, director of American
University’s Center for Behavioral Neuroscience, indicates that diets that lead
to obesity—diets high in saturated fat and refined sugar—may cause changes to
the brains of obese people that in turn may fuel overconsumption of those same
foods and make weight loss more challenging.