A new study shows that fast-food logos are branded into the minds of children from an early age,
MedicalDaily.com reported.
In the study by researchers from the University of Missouri-Kansas City and the University of Kansas Medical Center, when children were shown logos of fast food companies, the parts of the brain that control pleasure and appetite lit up and the brains did not do the same when showed images from companies not associated with food, according to MedicalDaily.com.
The children, aged 10-14, were shown 60 images from food brands such as Rice Krispies and KFC and 60 logos from non-food brands, such as BMW and FedEx. Using a functional MRI scanner, which measures blood flow to different areas in the brain, they watched the children’s brains react to the different logos.
"The brains of children are 'imprinted' with food logos," said Dr. Amanda Bruce, who led the study, the website reported. "Without the necessary inhibitory processes to aid in decision-making, youth are particularly susceptible to making poor choices about what to eat."
Childhood obesity has more than tripled over the past 30 years, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.