Enjoying That Food Porn Might Make You Gain Weight

So we've already heard that food can be addictive (especially ice cream), but luckily we can also use science to figure out who among us will gain weight in the next six months. Lovely.

New research indicates that the nucleus accumbens region of the brain (translation: the area linked to pleasure/rewards/addiction) can help predict future actions. Researchers rounded up a group of female college freshmen, showed them food porn, scanned their brains to measure blood flow, and called them in again six months later.

The results? The women who reacted more strongly to the food porn were more likely to gain weight. While researchers have no idea how this will affect weight in the long term (taking into account our great ability to self-regulate), study researcher Bill Kelley says we should constantly be aware of where our cravings originate.

"Having the knowledge that these things can influence us in these implicit, unconscious sorts of ways is helpful in a sense because it allows us to be aware that when we're seeing these things we really have to be switched on and self-regulate," he told LiveScience. So if you're really worried about your health, you probably shouldn't watch this not-safe-for-life video.