Turning the lights out or wearing a blindfold while eating could be a quick way to lose weight, according to scientists。
科學家稱,關上燈或是蒙上眼睛吃東西,不失為一條減肥的捷徑。
The simple trick works because it stops diners eating for pleasure rather than for calories。 It also triggers a part of the brain that is worried that unseen food may be rotten without visual clues to show it is fresh。
這一方法之所以有效,是因為它降低了美食的誘惑力,同時讓大腦無從判斷食物新鮮與否,進而影響食慾。
An experiment by the University of Konstanz, in Germany, found that people who were blindfolded consumed nine per cent fewer calories before they felt full, compared to those who could see。
德國康斯坦茨大學的一項試驗發現,對比能夠看著食物進餐的人,蒙住眼睛進食的受試者要少攝入9%卡路里。
They also vastly overestimated how much they had eaten because they could not see how much was left on the plate。 Blindfolded volunteers estimated they had eaten 88 per cent more than they actually had。
Scientists believe that not seeing food on the table also allows the body to know when it is full in real-time rather than remembering past experiences where it might have taken a full plate to feel satiated。
It also prevents the 『cephalic』 phase of digestion which is triggered by the sight of food, promoting salivation and the release of gastric juices and so makes food, literally, less easy to swallow。
人們在摸黑進食時,由於看不見食物,大腦消化組織刺激分泌的唾液與胃液就會少得多,讓食物較難下咽。
Lead author Dr Britta Renner said: 「Visual deprivation caused a pronounced dissociation between actual and perceived intake。
此次研究的首席作者布瑞塔·倫納博士說:「視覺的剝奪會讓自我感覺的進食量與實際情況之間產生偏差。」
「This may provide an unobtrusive and naturalistic means to change the experience of eating behaviour。」
「這會在不經意間改變人們的進食體驗。」
To test the effect, 50 people were blindfolded with modified ski goggles, and 40 were allowed to see their food。 All were told not to eat within two hours of the experiment。 They were then given three 95g bowls of cherry, caramel and vanilla ice cream and invited to eat for 15 minutes。 Their bowls were taken away and the remaining ice-cream measured, while the participants were quizzed on how much they thought they had eaten。
On average the group who could see ate 116g while the blindfolded groups ate 105g。 However the blindfolded group believed they had eaten 197g while compared with 159g for the non-blind volunteers。
They were also asked how pleasant the ice-cream tasted and the blindfolded group rated the desert lower than those who could see。
科學家也詢問了受試者們對冰淇淋味道的評價,蒙眼試驗者的味覺感受不如可見食物的這一組。
「The experienced pleasure of eating was significantly lower in the blindfolded group。 Not seeing the food might have decreased its incentive value。 Visual cues play an important role in the eating experience and in the overall dining experience。」
Previous studies have shown that the visual impact of food plays a large part in the taste。 While restaurants that allow diners to eat in the dark claim it triggers other senses, in fact eating in darkness is likely to taste far more bland than usual。