Researchers at the Max Planck Institute have scientifically proven something we already suspected: that it is enough to look at a delicious-looking plate of food to stimulate our voracity . Specifically, the image of food increases the blood concentration of the ghrelin hormone, also known as the hunger hormone, responsible for the sensation of appetite. "The permanent presence of appetizing food in the media – television, press, blog advertisements, etc. – may be contributing to weight gain in the West," the authors warn. The danger of seeing these images is that they can lead us to consume foods that our body does not really need to maintain its energy levels .
"We must be aware that when we see images of food, the physical processes that control our perception of appetite are involuntarily stimulated," says Petra Schüssler, co-author of the work.
