14 DAY TRIAL // Scientists from the University of California in San Diego (UCSD) have determined in a new study that approaches used to successfully combat anxiety and substance abuse work equally well in making kids pay more attention to the food they eat, and also eat less.
Overeating is one of the most important factors leading to obesity or to being overweight in children. By applying these approaches, the team explains, it may be possible to reduce the incidence and severity of overeating considerably, PsychCentral reports. It all comes down to attention modification programs.
What these programs do is train people to ignore cues or triggers that lead to compulsive behaviors such as overeating, doing drugs and having anxiety attacks. These programs are currently being used for treating a wide variety of mental health issues.
“It’s surprising to find differences in eating after just one training program, but it’s encouraging because it suggests that a longer program might have greater effect,” says Kerri Boutelle, PhD, who holds an appointment as a professor of pediatrics and psychiatry with the UCSD School of Medicine.