Monday May 28, 2012

JAPAN NEWS AND DISCUSSION

Study: Women less able to suppress hunger

World Jan. 20, 2009 - 05:57AM JST ( 15 )

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15 Comments

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shiuuJan. 20, 2009 - 08:51AM JST

This sounds like something a fat woman would say.
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AltriaJan. 20, 2009 - 09:31AM JST

I think they should try this study with different nationalities...I'm rooting for the USA!
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cleoJan. 20, 2009 - 09:34AM JST

It sounds like something any woman would know about. Dieting for a man may mean combatting hunger; for a woman, hunger has little to do with it. That's why all those hunger-suppressant diet aids rarely work.

I read about a study many many years ago in which people were asked to do a simple task that lasted through a meal time; the meal provided was sandwiches. A small amount of sandwiches was put out, and people were told there were more in the fridge and to help themselves if they wanted more. The study showed that the overweight people tended to eat everything that was put out, but they mostly didn't raid the fridge; while underweight and standard weight people supplemented the small portion on the plate with more from the fridge. The study concluded that people with no weight problem ate just what they needed to satisfy their hunger, while those with a tendency to overweight ate because the food was there, not because they were hungry.

The moral being, if you're trying to watch your weight don't buy rubbish in the first place; make sure the fridge is full of nutritious food, not junk, so that when you do stuff your face you'll be stuffing it with goodness, not calories.
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unscrejectsJan. 20, 2009 - 01:31PM JST

In Africa we find that they actually cause hunger. They eat secretly while the rest of the tribe is out scavanging, working far from home or in school. Ever wondered why the photo of a starving child shows the poor soul sitting in the dirt alone? The mother doesn't look like she's from the same household/huthold - huge. Folks this is not meant to diparage my fellow Africans but there is a situation with women when it comes to eating.
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BetzeeJan. 20, 2009 - 03:09PM JST

Females are taught from a very young age to associate eating with being fat which is an undesirable state from an aesthetic perspective. I can remember a friend's nother serving her son ice cream when he came home from school. But her daughter was directed toward an apple, "because ice cream is fattening."

I would never tell a girl not to eat something for that reason. I might try to explain why it isn't a healthy snack, but it would be the same lecture I would give to a boy. Having had a close relationship with my now adult nephew, I was surprised at how many teenage boys have body image issues which I assumed was the sole purview of girls.

This I'm sure is still true, however:

Wang noted that behavioral studies have shown that women have a higher tendency than men to overeat...under emotional distress.

But those are often the women who, from a tender age, were taught to restrict their consumption to avoid becoming fat. Some of them will puke it up. I would agree with Cleo, it has nothing to do with hunger.
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dennis0bauerJan. 20, 2009 - 03:40PM JST

We'll know what men's weakness is and it is not food ;)
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likeitisJan. 20, 2009 - 04:30PM JST

My view is that most women are more about their memories, emotions and moods than men are. Men often try to ignore their emotions and moods, and shoot for some stability. Hunger is a feeling, and part of the emotional and mood experience. I think more women get a kick out of the experience, therefore, eating is harder to resist. The experience of eating is part of what makes life worth living, more for women than men.

Anyway, the whole thing is part of what little pull with women I have. I never hesitate to feed them some nice food!
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likeitisJan. 20, 2009 - 04:31PM JST

We'll know what men's weakness is and it is not food ;)

True dat. But the trouble is that women's weakness is NOT ONLY food! So much for poor men to learn! :(
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NessieJan. 20, 2009 - 06:19PM JST

My historical staw poll of lazy Sunday mornings certainly supports this. I get up early but don't eat. Two hours later Kawaiiko-chan opens her eyes and is immediately after me to make her lunch.
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Taka313Jan. 20, 2009 - 10:45PM JST

Nessie,

Two hours later Kawaiiko-chan opens her eyes and is immediately after me to make her lunch.

Here's hoping it's a "less able to suppress hunger" thing than a "more able to condition Nessie" thing.

The realazation that I had been slowly and slyly trained by Mrs. Taka was a bitter pill to swallow. ;-)

Taka
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some14someJan. 20, 2009 - 11:21PM JST

cause of food shortage? hope that is not the purpose of this research.
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sharky1Jan. 20, 2009 - 11:32PM JST

It doesn't make sense to publish conclusions on such a limited test with many unknown variables. This isn't science, it's a paper to make a quick buck.
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smithinjapanJan. 21, 2009 - 01:27AM JST

I think any way you slice this study it's only going to speak generalizations and be full of exceptions.

"The moral being, if you're trying to watch your weight don't buy rubbish in the first place; make sure the fridge is full of nutritious food, not junk, so that when you do stuff your face you'll be stuffing it with goodness, not calories."

I agree and disagree. Rubbish shouldn't be bought, plain in simple, except perhaps for those times you want to partake the day of. That goes for alcohol and whatever else your poison is; people will eat/drink simply because it's there. If it's not, they probably won't (as in, go out and search for it).

However, this study is about suppression, not solely about who eats how much and why. You couldn't very well do a study on suppression if nothing was in front of them the whole time. The other thing is, the study suggests to an extent that people who cannot suppress have a problem, and that's where I agree with Cleo: a willingness to suppress certain desires may be the problem, not actually being unable to force yourself not to eat, for whatever reason. For example, if asked I could go and have gone 3 or 4 days without eating a thing, despite my fridge and shelves being full, but it's just plain stupid to do so.

I don't think there's any intrinsic difference here based on biology. If there IS a gender difference it's definitely 'nurture'.
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bishamontenJan. 21, 2009 - 06:17AM JST

Taka313

“a bitter pill to swallow” I too have once had to swallow. I think this must be something particular to Japanese women. I wonder if Nessie knows? He will…..

As for the study, I really do have a few problems with it, the sample group is way too small to draw any real conclusions from, a starter idea yes, but not much else. Also given that the study only uses Americans (I’m assuming) to what degree is cultural conditioning playing a part in the results? Until a much larger mixed race group is used I can’t really see this study amounting to anything except a curiosity. What I found alarming was the figures given, “35.3% of American women and 33.3% of men were considered obese in 2006.” If that sits as a background to this study then people in the US really do have something to worry about when it comes to future medical.

My problem was different, I would forget to eat, it just never crossed my mind & the stomach seems not to be fitted with the normal warning system. I now have the similar external warning system as Taka & she never fails.
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NessieJan. 21, 2009 - 07:53PM JST

“a bitter pill to swallow” I too have once had to swallow. I think this must be something particular to Japanese women. I wonder if Nessie knows? He will…..

I've been pretty successful at hiding that pill under my tongue whenever the orderlies come round. Maybe too successful.

Here's hoping it's a "less able to suppress hunger" thing than a "more able to condition Nessie" thing.

No need for conditioning, as I'm always happy to get lunch going, as long as Kawaiko-chan is appreciative -- which she is, or it's the heave-ho.