Internet addicts risk becoming obese

The ‘computer generation’, who have grown up playing video games and communicating through social networking sites, may have altered their brains in such a way through using computers that it has left them more prone to obesity.

This theory comes from Baroness Susan Greenfield, who is director of the important scientific organisation The Royal Institution of Great Britain. Speaking at a meeting at the House Of Lords, she said that by using computers too much we could be “infantilising” our brains.

The more used that we become to instant stimulation, and as our attention spans get shorter, the more that a certain part of our minds used for long-term thinking become underused. This can leave us liable to make rash or reckless decisions on the spur of the moment. We may indulge in compulsive behaviour like overeating and consuming foods that we know, in the long run, will not be good for us. Computer use could therefore be linked directly to the high obesity levels that currently exist in Britain, and elsewhere in the world, too.

Baroness Greenfield warned that this part of the brain is “lose it, or use it”. So unless we practice with this section of our mental abilities more, it may become permanently more difficult for us to control our eating habits.

With computers such a central part of our lifestyles these days, is it really realistic to expect people to use them less? Even Baroness Greenfield admits this is probably unrealistic. It is not all bad news for internet addicts either – another study recently showed that some parts of our brain are actually stimulated and improved when we spend time surfing online.

As more research is conducted we will no doubt discover more about the impact that computers are having on our health. For the moment it is worth staying vigilant about how much you snack while you’re online, and remembering to fit in some exercise instead of staying glued to your screen.