Meals should be based on potatoes, bread, rice, pasta or other starchy carbohydrates, ideally wholegrain, according to the NHS Scientists say the human brain has a subconscious calorie-counter capable of preventing us from overeating In the US an estimated 73.6 per cent of adults are considered either overweight or obese.Д«eing overweight or obese is known to increase the risk of at least 13 different types of cancer and also causes other dangerous health conditions such as high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes. Obesity is one of BritainвЂ™s biggest health issues, with data showing two-thirds of adults areВ too fat.ДЄn analysis by Cancer Research UK last month predicted the toll will surpass the 70 per cent figure in the next two decades. вЂFor now, at least this offers a new perspective on a longstanding issue and it opens the door to a range of important new questions and avenues for future research.вЂ™ More than 42million adults in the UK will be overweight or obese by 2040, according to projections by Cancer Research UK вЂWhat this tells us is we donвЂ™t seem to passively overconsume these foods and so the reason why they are associated with obesity is more nuanced than previously thought,вЂ™ he said. вЂThis work is particularly exciting as it reveals a hidden complexity to how humans interact with modern energy-rich foods, something weвЂ™ve been referring to as вЂњnutritional intelligenceвЂќ.вЂ™Д«ristolвЂ™s findings, in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition,В raise important questions regarding high energy foods being linked to obesity. вЂThis research gives added weight to the idea humans arenвЂ™t passive overeaters after all, but show the discerning ability to moderate how much of an energy-rich meal they consume,вЂ™ he said.

Jeff Brunstrom added the results showed humans werenвЂ™t just mindless eaters. вЂFor instance, people ate smaller portions of a creamy cheese pasta dish, which is an energy-rich meal, than a salad with lots of different vegetables which is relatively energy-poor,вЂ™ Ms Flynn said. The results showed a вЂturning pointвЂ™, where people eating energy-dense foods then subconsciously started to eat smaller portions. Ms Flynn and team measured exactly how many grams of each meal volunteers ate. Meals had different calorie densities, such as aВ chicken salad sandwich with fig roll biscuits or porridge with blueberries and almonds. Participants were given a variety of specially-crafted meals. Twenty healthy people took part in the four-week long study, which took place on a hospital ward. вЂRemarkably, this study indicates a degree of nutritional intelligence where humans manage to adjust the amount they consume of high-energy density options.вЂ™

She added: вЂFor years weвЂ™ve believed humans mindlessly overeat energy-rich meals. The University of Bristol findings upend previous scientific thinking that people are mindless gorgers, unaware of how many calories they consume. Participants in a study chose to eat smaller portions of cheesy pastas - despite not being told to. It allows people to adjust their intake accordingly, depending on if they are eating a energy-rich pasta or a healthy salad. That is according to diet researchers, who think we can subconsciously gauge how fatty meals are. Human brains may be equipped with an in-built calorie counter that stops us from overeating and piling on the pounds.

Nhs calories counter