Why Women Lose Weight More Slowly Than Men
Posted January 21, 2009 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
It’s a scenario common to many women who have tried to lose weight with a boyfriend or husband: he always sheds the pounds faster.
Now, a study out of Brookhaven National Laboratory in New York may have the answer.
In an admittedly small sample group – 13 women and 10 men were studied – researchers discovered that a desire for food was the reason for the lag time.
It sounds obvious, but the scientists found that women had a hard time controlling their appetite.
Study participants fasted for 18 hours, then underwent a series of PET brain scans while they were tempted with the sights and smells of their favourite foods.
Both the men and women were asked to suppress their desire for food. As a group, the men succeeded where the women failed.
The researchers point out that although some women succeeded better than some men, as group, they were unable to control their appetites.
Two hormones, leptin and insulin, “signal” your brain when it’s time to stop eating. If those hormones are lacking, it’s easy to ignore those signs.
The study appears Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
