Who Says Comfort Food Is Bad For You

The pleasures of comfort food may extend far beyond tickled taste buds. A new study shows eating fatty foods could help ward off the blues, even when people don't know they're consuming fat. Researchers injected fatty acids directly into the stomachs of half a dozen participants and then exposed them to sad music and images. The other half of the group received saline solution instead of fat. Participants were then asked to rate their mood on a scale of one to nine. Researchers found the participants who were unknowingly injected with fatty acids were only half as sad as those who were given a saline solution. Researchers note the results are significant since they bypassed the pleasures of consuming fat by injecting it directly into the participants. The study appears in the "Journal of Clinical Investigation."