Researchers randomly assigned 49 people without excess weight to consume a high-fat, high-sugar yogurt or a low-fat, low-sugar yogurt with the same number of calories twice a day. (The low-fat yogurt had more protein.)

After 8 weeks, those assigned to the high-fat, high-sugar yogurt expressed a decreased preference for low-fat pudding. They also had a greater MRI response in some parts of the brain while both anticipating and consuming a milkshake.

What to do

It’s much too early to know if high-fat, high-sugar foods rewire the brain’s reward circuits to want more fatty sweets or if they just change our taste preferences.

But keeping a lid on fatty sweets—like ice cream, cookies, cupcakes, doughnuts, cinnamon rolls, and muffins—can’t hurt. 

Topics

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Kate Sherwood - CSPI.
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Salad Days!

Salads that make one-bowl meals. What’s not to love! The Healthy Cook's recipes will help expand your repertoire with imaginative combinations of greens, vegetables, herbs, whole grains, and proteins. Each salad is chock full of vegetables that deliver flavor and crunch to spare, and paired with a dressing that ties everything together.

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