“Chocolate Makes You Fat” Warnings Don’t Work on Women

Messages that eating chocolate can make you fat may actually drive some women to eat more, research shows. The joint study with the University of Strathclyde in Scotland found low restraint eaters (those not on a diet) showed a strong impulse to eat chocolate when presented with negative messaging, including warnings that chocolate could lead to obesity. Women on a diet were also prone to rebel against attempts to scare them off chocolate, particularly by ads featuring thin models. Researchers found dieters shown ads featuring thin models displayed an increased desire to eat chocolate coupled with greater feelings of wanting to avoid consumption, and if they indulged in higher consumption, they then felt more guilt. Appetite, Nov. 2012