Chronic backache can lead to overeating, and, as a result, to obesity. This is the conclusion reached by scientists from Yale University in Connecticut, USA.
After a series of experiments involving people suffering from back pain and – in contrast – healthy people, they concluded that chronic pain is associated with an increased risk of obesity. All the volunteers had to taste products with different levels of fat and sugar in them. All study participants had to describe how satisfying the offered products were.
The experiment showed that people with chronic backache distinguished the variety of tastes worse. Their taste receptors were “asleep”. People with chronic back pain often got confused when they explained what products they thought were particularly tasty and why. It was also found that when a person suffers from backache, he or she gets less pleasure from foods high in fat and feels saturation worse. It leads to consuming more calories.
However, the connection of backache and overeating does not surprise neurologists. They claim that backache, as well as pleasure from eating and the feeling of satiety, is regulated by the same areas of the brain.
