About 35 percent of American women and 33 percent of men are obese.
That's according to the U.S. government.
Scientist now may know why.
A recently published study suggest that men may have an easier time saying no to their favorite foods.
According to Bloomberg.com:
"Researchers conducted brain scans on men and women while they looked at and tasted their favorite food, warmed up so it would smell appealing.
Then they were told to suppress their hunger. The scans revealed brain activity suggesting men were better at the task, according to the study published in today’s Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
The finding could mean that women on a diet have a harder time than men controlling their desire to eat in the presence of foods they like, said study author Gene-Jack Wang, the chairman of the medical department at Brookhaven National Laboratory in Upton, New York. Better understanding of the challenges could help find solutions to rising rates of obesity in the U.S."