Video-gaming Makes Players Eat More — Even When They’re Not Hungry

A study has offered up a new clue to the country’s obesity epidemic, suggesting video-game use is not just a rampant and sedentary replacement for physical exertion, but actually makes players eat more — even when they are not hungry. After the gaming, they consumed an average of 80 calories more at a pasta lunch. The increase is more significant than it may sound, given that eating only 50 additional calories a day — an apple, for instance — could potentially pack on 28 extra kilograms over 10 years. Surveys filled out by the 22 young men who participated in the study showed the gamers consumed an average of 163 more calories through the day. The researchers theorize that the normal mental strain of playing the devices calls out for some kind of edible “reward,” with comfort foods high in sugar and fat particularly effective at satisfying the impulse. Dr. Chaput said he suspects the impact is much greater than 80 calories, since in a real-life setting gamers often play with others and eat while they play — both factors that would encourage food intake. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, April 2011