Okay, so you turn into a glutton the instant the Thanksgiving turkey or Christmas goose lands on the table. But don't be too hard on yourself -- scientists say it may all be in the genes.
Research has already shown that we tend to eat 10 percent more, or about 200 calories per day, from October through December. Now scientists at Georgia Tech say the reason could be genetic, nature's way of forcing us to build up our fat reserves for the winter months.
"We schedule Christmas and Thanksgiving holidays at this time because this is when we want to overeat," says researcher Dr. Juan de Castro. He based his conclusions on a study of more than 250 pairs of twins who lived and ate apart, which indicated genetics affected all aspects of eating behavior.
"Genes dictate not only the amount of body fat a person has, but also how much they want in a particular situation and how much they eat while they are there," De Castro says. "So genes are not only influencing behavior, but they also seem to be indirectly affecting the environment."
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