Why we eat much less when it is sizzling — it is not as a result of we’re too busy getting a tan
Have you ever noticed that when it’s hot outside you just don’t have the same appetite as you do when it’s cold?
OK, so this year hasn’t exactly given us an abundance of heatwaves, but in those glimpses of warmth did you notice that you circled the fridge less? And yet when the mercury plummets your head is rarely out of the cupboards hunting down the next snack.
Have you ever wondered what the connection with temperature and our desire to eat food is? Well luckily boffins in the US have been digging into the scientific reasons behind these fluctuations into heat related hunger levels.
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According to the researchers there’s basic biological reason behind our desires to eat, and it’s all to do with calorie intake.
(Image: Getty Images)
Allison Childress, a registered dietitian and associate professor at Texas Tech University, told Live Science: “What we know is, people in colder environments eat more calories.”
The reason being is that calories are a unit of energy, and burning them off can release heat, helping people maintain their body heat in colder climates.
And when winter ends and warmer days arrive, many people notice they are not as hungry. Childress has seen this pattern in her practice and in the wider research.
(Image: Getty Images/Big Cheese Photo RF)
Every time we use energy in our bodies, we produce heat, including when we digest food. Out of every 1,000 calories consumed, only 250 are turned into energy we can use; the rest is lost as heat.
In hot weather your body is busy trying to stay cool, so it doesn’t need the added heat from digesting a large meal. Your desire to eat decreases temporarily, and your body begins to draw energy from its fat stores.
“Eating and drinking are things that seem like they just happen,” Carter said. “But really, behind the scenes, the brain is precisely measuring the need for calories, for water, for an optimal body temperature. And I think that’s amazing.”
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