AAP, PLOS ONE (Australia)
SYDNEY – A new study from Australian scientists has concluded that animals are just as tempted by tasty treats as we humans are.
In an article published in the PLOS One journal on Wednesday, researchers found that rats exposed to what they call a “cafeteria diet” increased their bodyweight by 270% after 16 weeks, compared with 170% for a control group.
Exercise was not factored in…
In the study led by Professor Margaret Morris from the University of New South Wales, the cafeteria rats snacked between meals and did not compensate by decreasing the number of meals they had. Healthy foods were available to the rats, but this only made up of 10% of their intake, said the AAP.
“If you give animals an unlimited choice of yummy foods, they will behave in a way that will encourage weight gain. It seems to us that high-fat foods tend to encourage this sort of consumption.”
These days plenty of people are on health food crusades for kids. But who’s looking after the rest of us?
So it turns out that a healthy lifestyle has the same trade-off for the animal kingdom as it does for we humans: no will power means more acqua-gym…
