Losing weight can often be a struggle, and is rarely fun, but that could be about to change. Researchers from Drexel University are developing a gaming app they think could help people “control unhealthy eating habits and ultimately lose weight”.
The app, which would be in the form of a computer game, is designed to improve inhibitory control – the part of the brain that “stops you from giving into unhealthy cravings”.
The game, DietDash, requires participants to tell researchers which types of unhealthy foods they are most likely to binge on. The game will then be customised to their diet; if someone lists cookies as their favourite treat, for example, cookies will appear in the game.
Players are then asked to press certain keys to respond to different types of foods, including healthy and unhealthy foods.
“As the player’s inhibitory control improves, the game speed increases”. People are expected to play the game for eight minutes a day for six weeks. Another will attempt to intelligently detect patterns in a person’s eating habits.
“When users are likely to slip from their dietary plans, the app provides tailored strategies to put them back on track,” researchers said.
“Millions of people are trying to lose weight, and they are going about it in a reasonable way – by trying to reduce calories,” said Evan Forman, who will be leading the study. “But you’re going to slip from your diet plan. That pretty much happens to everyone. You could say the secret of helping people actually lose weight is preventing these lapses, so we concentrated on how to best do that.”
“The study is really the first to attempt to train people for weeks in a row,” Forman said. “We think this can translate to real-world behaviours, because just like any task, it improves with practice.”
The university is now seeking participants to trial the app.
