14 DAY TRIAL // In a paper published in yesterday's issue of the journal Appetite, a team of scientists at the University of Exeter and Cardiff University describe a novel online game designed to train people to stay clear of junk food and eat more fruits and veggies instead.
The game is pretty straightforward. Thus, all players have to do is click on images of healthy treats and ignore pictures of unhealthy snacks. Apparently, this trains the brain to say “no” to junk food.
“The game requires people to repeatedly avoid pressing on pictures of certain images (e.g. of biscuits), whilst responding to other images (e.g. fruit, clothes), and therefore trains people to associate calorie-dense foods with ‘stopping,’” scientists explain.
The game is not yet available to the public. In a series of experiments carried out with the help of volunteers, however, it was shown to be quite effective at helping people control their appetite.
Specialists say that, having been made to complete a total of 4 sessions of playing, each lasting merely 10 minutes, the study participants started consuming 220 fewer calories a day and even lost an average 0.7 kilograms (1.5 pounds) over the course of a week.
Besides, the volunteers' newly acquired disdain for unhealthy foods and the weight loss that came with it were maintained for about 6 months following the completion of the study.
Given the encouraging outcome of their experiments, the University of Exeter and Cardiff University scientists behind this research project propose that such games also be developed to try and help people control other unhealthy behaviors such as drinking too much or smoking.