Daydreamers are more likely to be FAT: Imbalance in the brain 'prevents them realizing when they're overeating'

During a boring lecture, class or meeting, it is common to end up with your head in the clouds, daydreaming.

And while it may seem harmless, a team of scientists have warned daydreaming could increase a person's risk of obesity.

Scientists said the brains of overweight people are wired in a way that makes them prone to overeating. 

As a result, when they are daydreaming, they fail to recognize if they have already eaten too much food - and continue to eat, they warned. 

In order to combat the problem, researchers said children could benefit from practising mindfulness from a young age, to lower their risk of obesity.  

Study co-author Dr Ronald Cowan, of Vanderbilt University, said: 'We think mindfulness could recalibrate the imbalance in the brain connections associated with childhood obesity.'

Daydreamers are more likely to be overweight -  because they have more activity in the brain regions associated with impulsivity and inhibition, which stops them from being able to realize when they've had too much to eat, a new study revealed

Mindfulness has been proven to increase inhibition and decrease impulsivity, according to the Vanderbilt study.

Study co-author, Dr Dr Kevin Niswender, said: ‘Adults, and especially children, are primed towards eating more.

‘This is great from an evolutionary perspective - they need food to grow and survive.

‘But in today’s world, full of readily available, highly advertised, energy dense foods, it is putting children at risk of obesity.’

The study identified three areas of the brain associated with weight and eating habits.

The inferior parietal lobe is linked to inhibition and the ability to override an automatic response such as eating.

Additionally, the frontal pole is associated with impulsivity, and the nucleus accumbens is associated with reward.

Lead study author BettyAnn Chodkowski, a PhD candidate, said: ‘We know the brain plays a big role in obesity in adults, but what we understand about the neurological connections associated with obesity might not apply to children.

‘We wanted to look at the way children’s brains function in more detail so we can better understand what is happening neurologically in children who are obese.’

The study analyzed data collected by the Enhanced Nathan Kline Institute - Rockland Sample.

The information came from 38 children aged 8 to 13 - five of which were obese and six overweight.

Weight measurements and information about eating habits were collected, and brain scans were also performed.

The results demonstrated a preliminary link between weight, eating behavior and balance in brain function.

Scientists recommend teaching 'mindfulness' to children at a young age, so that they can be more aware of what they are eating and prevent obesity from setting in

The study found that, in children who ate the most, the part of the brain associated with being impulsive was more strongly connected than the part of the brain associated with inhibition.

In contrast, in children who behaved in ways that help them avoid food, the part of the brain associated with inhibition was more strongly connected compared to the part of the brain associated with being impulsive.

Co-author Dr Ronald Cowan said: ‘Mindfulness has produced mixed results in adults, but so far there have been few studies showing its effectiveness for weight loss in children.’

The study was published in the journal Heliyon.