Image: Matt Collins
Why am I so hungry after writing one of these columns? I have often wondered. Now comes
an answer.
A study in the journal Psychosomatic Medicine contends that intellectual work—that’s right, I’m calling writing this stuff, ya know, intellectual—induces a big increase in caloric intake. The research had 14 Canadian students do three things at different times: sit and relax; complete a series of memory and attention tests; and read and summarize a text. (It was that last activity that disqualified rodents and U.S. students as study subjects.) After 45 minutes at each task, the kids were treated to an all-you-can-eat buffet lunch. Because Canada has a truly advanced code of human-subject research ethics.
Each session of intellectual work required the burning of only three more calories than relaxing did. But when the students hit the buffet table after the text summation, they took in an additional 203 calories. And after the memory and attention tests, the subjects consumed another 253 calories. Blood samples taken before, during and after the activities found that all that thinking causes big fluctuations in glucose and insulin levels. And because glucose fuels the neurons, a transitory low level in the brain may signal the stomach to get the hands to fill up the mouth, even though the energy actually spent has gone up just a hair. The researchers note that such “caloric overcompensation following intellectual work, combined with the fact that we are less physically active when doing intellectual tasks, could contribute to the obesity epidemic.” Think about that—unless you’re on a diet.
Speaking of calories. The journal Science reports that mathematicians from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, New York University and the Free University of Brussels have figured out a better way to wrap spherical pieces of chocolate. There’s a lot of wasted material when wrapping spheres with square pieces of foil or paper. But our intrepid geometers found that by using equilateral triangles rather than squares, they could generate a savings of 0.1 percent. That’s one full square saved for every 1,000 pieces of triangle-wrapped chocolate you eat.
Speaking of the munchies. Some of the chemical compounds found in marijuana show promise for fighting drug-resistant bacterial infections. That’s according to the Journal of Natural Products, published by the American Chemical Society. (As opposed to The Book of Mr. Natural, published by Fantagraphics Books. Seriously.) Naturally, scientists have long known that pot contains antibacterial constituents. But lack of seed money stems research, so little has been done to investigate pot’s potential.
In the new study researchers tested five cannabinoid marijuana ingredients against the superbug MRSA, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. All five did a lot of damage to the bacterium. And two of the substances don’t even appear to be psychoactive, meaning they could be turned into medications that don’t cause a high. Because the last thing you want to administer to a patient incapacitated for weeks in a hospital bed experiencing the horrors of an out-of-control staph infection is an antibacterial drug that would also lighten his mood.
Speaking of mood-altering. Earlier this year Republicans in the House of Representatives adopted as a reelection sales pitch the phrase “The Change You Deserve.” Which they apparently didn’t realize was already the trademarked slogan for Effexor XR, a potent antidepressant. But I digress. At the Republican National Convention former real senator and fictional New York City district attorney Fred Thompson said of Sarah Palin, “I think I can say without fear of contradiction she is the only nominee in the history of either party who knows how to properly field-dress a moose. With the possible exception of Teddy Roosevelt.”
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22 Comments
Add Commentthis article rocked!
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisSo the more thought you put into a diet, the more likely you are to eat.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisVery interesting read since I find myself snacking throughout the entire day. Every since I conquered a <a href=http://www.drugrehab.net/addiction_01.php>heroin addiction </a> . Great information!
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisExcellent post. Now I'm hungry too...and I just ate supper. Dessert anyone?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisVery interesting article. In my psych class we're going over Maslow's hierarchy which, of course, includes the physiological needs and this article has proven useful for an assignment. And I'm starting to think the reason I'm not eating much this year is because I'm not thinking much this year. Figures.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisIf thinking burns calories, couldn't we just skip the exercise and just all try to be a bit nerdier? Sounds like a viable alternative to me.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThinking doesn't burn more calories -- only a few more than doing nothing. Just that the participants ate more after an activity requiring more thinking -- so you could also mistakenly conclude that thinking can make you fat.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI thought being fat literally made you "slower", see: http://jech.bmj.com/cgi/content/abstract/43/4/369.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisor google scholar "obesity and intellegence" maybe everyone is potenially apt.,but some maybe more incliend genatically to ansewer the call to consume. Anyway on the subject of ganja there are multiple and diverse clincal studies and information surrounding the medicinal plant see: http://norml.org. Its acutally quiet ridiculous how good it is for you, I believe the laws surrounding it are idealistic and INHUMAN ,remember that word america?
Would this scientific knowledge explain why poorest nations are underdeveloped?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI think it 's more in the line of stress..... The more stress the more you think the more you eat. Remove the stress factor the result would be different. Also it is not the only reason we eat.... As for the underdevelop comment Well if you are hungry and there is no food will it stop you from thinking? No, becaus you will find no corelation between the two.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisSo does this explain the freshman fifteen???
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisoh its really interisting one
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisHI ITS REALLY INTERESTING ONE
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisHahahahahahahaha! Where have you been? Deciding to use Canadians as your subject matter was a mistake. Most Canadians don't do well with anything that involves brain cells but they all eat like pigs especially when someone else is providing the grub. This research should be destroyed or labeled "Pigs in Search of Free Food".
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI always feel hungry after have meal in two hours, no matter what I do at that period
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisAt first read, I was thinking "why is this article so tongue in cheek?" By the time I got to the marijuana part, I finally understood.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisHar.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThis is totally true; I know from real experience of both thought and poverty.
Nevertheless, to all comments and especially the author: LOL.
Good article.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisSo as a suggestion what would be the best foods to consume in the process of intellectual fatigue..?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisUnderdeveloped dose not mean ignorant....Most countries that are categorized as 3rd world or underdeveloped have some of the best diets so these to concepts are not linked. A more direct effect is that governmental social structure is underdeveloped.....Most individuals that come from these environments do very well in the US
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisIronic that the feds discourage research into marijuana while MRSA is such a large medical threat.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisHow true - I suspected as much. I feel hungrier if I have a day at work, reading, writing and doing analytical work than if I go for a walk in the country, when I can go ten miles or more without any snacking, and often skip lunch if there's too much interesting about to see. But in a typical working week I'm doing some sort of cognitive work for 60-70 hours, and really struggle to stave off the munchies. I have to resort to artificial rules like 'no chocolate in the office' and 'don't touch sandwiches until 12:00' in order not to put on more weight.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisOne tiny criticism: how about mentioning the study authors' names, so that we can follow up the journal reference? Just a thought.
Paul.