LONDON, May 17 (UPI) -- A British study has found a connection between overeating and the brain, data that may be used to prevent and treat obesity and eating disorders.
Britain's Medical Research Council studied 12 people's brain activity when looking at different types of food, The Guardian reports.
Participants' brains were scanned while seeing anything from chocolate cake to rotten meat and then given questionnaires about their lifestyle.
The study showed some people's brain activity made them more prone to crave food as a reward.
Co-author and senior research scientist Andy Calder said of the study: "We didn't know if high reward-sensitive individuals are more prone to eat more. But, as you move up the scale, the people at the top have twice as much activation as those at the bottom."
Researchers say the data cold be used to understand obesity and eating disorders, as well as treat drug and alcohol addiction.
