Being hangry is no way to fight flab

Have you ever been ‘hangry’ — or angry as a result of being hungry? New evidence suggests the state really does exist.

Scientists found that mice with low blood sugar levels are more prone to aggression and anxiety. It confirms what many diabetics already know: that falling blood sugar is linked to irritability.

The finding has implications for dieters and anyone who skips a meal now and then.

Further evidence is provided by a Forties clinical study, known as the Minnesota Starvation experiment, which looked at the physical and psychological impact of restricted diets and starvation.

volunteers were placed on a reduced diet of about 1,500 calories and given specific exercises so that they quickly started losing weight.

Many of the participants experienced periods of severe distress and depression. Some resorted to self-mutilation, with one man amputating three of his fingers with an axe. It was the first study to clearly link weight loss with triggering severe mental illness.

I think it goes some way to explain why diets — particularly crash diets — can make people so miserable. The best way to drop the pounds is slowly, making sustainable changes to what you eat and drink. Slashing calories might may you thinner faster, but it will leave you hangry.