Researchers discovered that junk food elicits addictive behavior in rats similar to the behaviors of rats addicted to heroin. And, as the pleasure centers in the brains of rats addicted to high-fat, high-calorie diets became less responsive as the binging wore on, the rats consumed more and more food.

The junk foods used in the study were typical “Western fare,” such as Ho Hos, sausage, pound cake, bacon and cheesecake. Rats that ate the junk food soon developed compulsive eating habits and became obese.It is suspected that the results of this newest study (presented October 20 at the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience) will help to explain the changes in the brain that lead people to overeat.

For a full report on the study, go to: discovery.com

Technorati Tags: addiction, junk food, obesity, overeating

Even though chiropractic care may be able to help those who already have asthma, public health researcher Julie Von Behren, of Northern California Cancer Center in Berkeley, and colleagues found that being overweight, especially around the middle, may increase a woman’s risk for developing asthma.

In the study women who were overweight or obese were much more apt to have asthma than women at a healthy weight, but regardless of a woman’s weight, a large waist size, i.e., more than 34 inches, also suggested increased risk for asthma, Von Behren and colleagues report in the medical journal Thorax.

In addition, obesity may make asthma symptoms more severe, according to Von Behren, and make urgent medical visits and hospital admission due to asthma more likely. “These findings are particularly troubling,” Von Behren and colleagues say, given that the majority of American adults are now overweight or obese.

For more on this valuable study and sources, go to reuters.com

Technorati Tags: athsma, chiropractic, health research, obesity, overweight