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Are female university students more likely to overeat than males?

(CBC) Women are more “hardwired to eat” than men and have greater difficulty suppressing their appetites, according to a new study.

Researcher Gene-Jack Wang of Brookhaven National Laboratory of Upton, N.Y., and his colleagues performed brain scans on 13 women and 10 men to determine how their brains responded to the sights of their favourite foods.  Participants had fasted overnight and were told to refrain from thinking about food during the tests. The portion of women’s brains controlling the drive to eat remained active, whereas brain activity decreased in this region for men.

Wang noted that women have a higher tendency than men to overeat when presented with food or under emotional stress.  The study suggested that greater national obesity rates in women in the United States than men may be chocked up to women’s inability to say no to food.

1.

Female students who are less satisfied by milkshakes consume more

Eureka! Science News
Women who get less satisfaction from eating treats, like chocolate milkshakes, are more likely to gain weight over time and become obese, according to 2008 studies at the University of Oregon's Lewis Center for Neuroimaging. The studies used functional magnetic resonance imaging to determine which women had weakened "reward circuitry" in their brains in relation to food. One of the studies tracked the body mass index of 43 female college students, with a mean body mass index of 28.6 over a year. Participants with lower numbers of dopamine D2 receptors were found to be more at risk for gaining weight.

2.

Male students more likely to pack on the pounds in college than females

USA Today
The Freshman 15 may be a myth, but both male and female university students should still be concerned about weight gain, according to studies conducted at Indiana University in Bloomington in 2008. Researchers surveyed 273 female students and 149 male students, finding that of the 60 per cent that gained weight in their first year of university, men gained the most. Men gained almost nine pounds, whereas women gained seven and a half pounds on average. Significantly more men gained weight over the course of four years at university too, with 86 per cent of men gaining an average of 14 pounds and 67 per cent of women gaining an average of 10 pounds. However, significantly more women, 76 per cent, said they ate under stress, whereas only 33 per cent of males did the same.

3.

Vitamin D linked to weight gain in college-age women

McGill
Insufficient vitamin D can cause weight gain in young women, according to a study published by the Journal of Clinical Endrocrinology & Metabolism in December 2008. Researchers administrated blood tests to women in California aged 16-22,and found that lower levels of vitamin D corresponded to an increased body mass index and abdominal fat. The study recommended that young girls get blood tests for vitamin D levels and consider taking vitamin D supplements.

4.

African American female students more at risk for gaining weight, study says.

Business Net
Female African American students have an increased risk of becoming overweight, according to a 2003 study in the journal of The Association of Black Nursing Faculty. The study, conducted by Fannie July, a retired nursing Professor of Fayetteville State University, and colleagues explored the diet and exercise habits of African American female students in the United States, by surveying 107 African American female students. Sixty-three per cent of participants reported drinking no more than three glasses of water per day. It was found that the majority of participants exercised infrequently and did not follow the dietary recommendations of the United States National Food Pyramid.

5.

Female college students need more guidance about healthy habits, study says.

Nutrition Journal
A 2006 study in the Nutrition Journal by Brenda M. Malinauskas and colleagues recommends that female college students have open discussions with health educators regarding healthy and effective dieting practices. Researchers found that out of 185 female university students between the ages of 18 and 24, 80 per cent of participants reported using physical activity to lose weight, but only 19 per cent exercised at a level that would promote weight loss. Unhealthy practices of participants also included smoking cigarettes (nine per cent) and skipping breakfast (32 per cent).