Being self-aware may help reduce
your risk of obesity, a new study contends. Researchers looked at more than 400
people in New England and found that those
with higher levels of what is known as dispositional mindfulness - an awareness
and attention to current feelings and thoughts - had less belly fat. They were
also less likely to be obese than those with lower levels of such mindfulness.
Specifically, people with low
levels of this type of self-awareness were 34 percent more likely to be obese
and to have a bit more than a pound of belly fat than those with higher levels
of self-awareness, the investigators found.
The study was published Oct. 19
in the International Journal of Behavioral Medicine.
Dispositional mindfulness is not
the same as meditation, the Brown
University researchers
explained.
"This is everyday
mindfulness," study author Eric Loucks, an assistant professor of
epidemiology, said in a university news release. "The vast majority of
these people are not meditating."
Previous research has shown that
mindfulness can help people overcome cravings for unhealthy foods, and it may
also help people overcome their reluctance to start exercising, Loucks added.
"That's where the
mindfulness may come in. Being aware of each and every moment and how that's
related to what we do and how we feel," he explained.
While the effects of mindfulness
on weight and belly fat are significant, they are not huge, the scientists
said.
"Awareness seems to be
enough to have a small to medium effect. Then there is the question of what
could we do to increase it," Loucks said.
He pointed out that this study
found an association, but did not prove that higher mindfulness levels actually
cause weight loss. Further research is needed to determine if that's the case.
Loucks' next study will examine
whether mindfulness helps people adhere to doctor-prescribed healthy lifestyle
regimens, such as changing eating habits or getting more exercise.
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