Fat people 'are better at sniffing out food'

By FIONA MACRAE

Overweight people are more sensitive to delicious food aromas according to a study


Those who are fat have a better sense of smell than others – but only when it comes to sniffing out food, say scientists.

A study looking at weight gain and sense of smell found that when it comes to everyday scents, those who are overweight have less sensitive noses than their leaner friends.

But they do have a better nose for food odours – especially after they have eaten. It is thought that an extra-keen sense of smell makes it harder for them to say ‘No’, which is why they pile on the pounds.

Although overeating and too little exercise are largely to blame for the obesity epidemic, many experts believe that other factors are also at play. These could include smell, say the researchers from Portsmouth University.

Psychologist Lorenzo Stafford tested how easily 64 men and women picked up different scents. Although you might expect the ability to sniff out food to be at its highest when we are hungry, the reverse was found to be true. The aromas were actually easiest to pick up when full.

Dr Stafford believes this could be the body’s way of detecting and rejecting foods that are no longer needed, regulating appetite to stop us from eating too much.
However, an extra-keen sense of smell may actually have the opposite effect, researchers say.

The overweight men and women tested struggled to pick out non-food smells, but excelled when presented with vials containing minute amounts of a herbal scent.

As smell is key to our sense of taste, this could actually make it difficult for them to stop eating, even when they are full, the journal Chemical Senses reports.

But obesity should not get the blame for altering our sense of smell. Instead, it is thought that a good nose for food could lead to weight gain.

Dr Stafford said: ‘It could be speculated that for those with a propensity to gain weight, their higher sense of smell for food-related odours might actually play a more active role in food intake.

‘We have known for some time that the part of the brain that processes olfactory information is also connected to the feeding centres of the brain, but what is less clear is the extent to which it controls food intake.

‘Hopefully this research will stimulate more work in this area with the potential to help those who struggle with their weight and those who treat people with weight problems.’

It may be possible to develop diet drugs that take the edge of smell. But making the obese aware of the danger of tempting aromas could be just as effective.
‘It’s certainly true that our sense of smell is a lot better than people think,’ said Dr Stafford.

source: dailymail

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