A study published on Monday in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences reveals an interesting finding as to why women are more prone to obesity than men. The fact that the study highlights is that there are gender disparities with regard to controlling food cravings!

Positron emission tomography (PET) scans were used by Dr. Gene-Jack Wang - of Brookhaven National Laboratory in Upton, New York - and his colleagues, in order to observe brain activity in 23 normal-weight people - 10 men and 13 women – famished for over 17 hours.

Volunteers underwent three brain scans – first, without any instructions; second, with instructions to hold back their craving the food; and third, without any food placed before them.

Researchers found that on being asked to suppress their desire, activity in motivation and emotion-related areas of the brain dropped in men; but, the women’s brains remained stimulated, giving them a tough time in controlling their longing for food.

The study - funded by the General Clinical Research Center of Stony Brook University, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, and the National Institute on Drug Abuse – concluded that gender disparity is responsible for the better tools for appetite control in men.

Wang said: “This decreased inhibitory control in women could be a major factor contributing to the observed differences in the prevalence rates of obesity and eating disorders, and lower success in losing weight while dieting when compared with men.”