We’d like to report some positive news. A new study has found that oxytocin, the hormone released during sex, leads to lower cravings for food, specifically as it relates to the compulsive eating otherwise known as binging (scroll down).
Conducted over the past decade by Canada’s York University and the Center for Addiction and Mental Health, the study monitored a large group of participants ranging from 27 to 50 years old and sporting wide array of body weights, a substantial number of whom identified as bingers.
As the researchers combed through their participants’ questionnaires they learned of each person’s differences in “reward sensitivity, punishment sensitivity, sugar/fat food preferences, and overeating habits” and then correlated them with their genetic information.
They found that the love hormone has a direct genetic relationship to overeating, adding that it was “significantly related to psychological traits,” specifically ones that “regulate behavior.”
It’s fascinating stuff because oxytocin is also linked to forming better bonds, reducing drug addictions and mindblowing orgasms. (Here are 11 interesting effects of oxytocin.)
You may be saying, if I didn’t have this binge eating problem maybe I’d have more sex. Fair point. Maybe consider lowering your standards. And talk to your doctor. Always talk to your doctor.
Whether you’re looking to get into shape, or just get out of a funk, The Charge has got you covered. Sign up for our new wellness newsletter today.
