Eating in front of computer linked to weight gain: Study

By Dr. Ananya Mandal, MDDec 20 2010

The latest study shows that having lunch in front of your computer may lead to more weight gain and increased snacking. The team from the University of Bristol was studying the ways in which memory and attention influence appetite.

The study involved 44 hungry men and women. They asked one group of participants to eat a lunch that comprised nine different foods while playing Solitaire on the computer. The second group had not distractions but same food.

Results showed that the first group felt less full after eating and went on to snack more. The effect was long-lasting as half an hour later the participants who played the computer game ate around twice as many chocolate biscuits as the non-distracted participants. These distracted people also failed to remember what order they had eaten the food items provided for lunch.

Lead author Dr Jeff Brunstrom said, “When people think about memory, they think about remembering shopping lists and people’s names and things like that… But the reality is that memory helps us without even thinking about it. It helps us remember how to walk to work and we are trying to suggest it affects appetite.”