New study finds smelling our food might be linked to weight gain

It looks like the saying "stop and smell the roses" applies to cake as well.

That's according to a new study published in Cell Metabolism, which found that mice with a good sense of smell gained weight after being fed high-fat chow.

So that part is obvious.

But the study also found mice with an impaired sense of smell were fed the same diet and stayed thin.

Ok we know what you're thinking. People who smell cake - will eat the cake.

But actually the mice ate the same amount of food and exercised no differently than the mice with normal smell.

The study says mice without a sense of smell burned fat differently.

Scientists believe this could be related to higher levels of adrenaline - or the body's fight or flight system that could up metabolism.

Basically not being able to smell could make your body think you're starving on some remote island and turn fat into brown fat, which burns off as fuel.

Scientists believe the discovery could help combat obesity.

Plugging your nose won't help though, as scientists say our mouths also send olfactory information.

But chemicals to block our sense of smells might do the trick, however more studies are needed.

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