Scientists have said that the human brain is programmed to search for unhealthy food

Researchers from the Netherlands studied people's nighttime snacking on sweets, spicy and fatty food. The participants of the experiment found tasty food without fail even in the dark. Scientists have concluded that it is not just about a good memory – the human brain can actually be programmed to search for high-calorie food.

Data from their experiment showed that people are much better at remembering where unhealthy foods are stored than their more healthy counterparts. In other words, the human brain has evolved to focus on remembering where the high-calorie foods are. The authors of the study theorize that this allowed our hunter-gatherer ancestors to survive in harsh conditions with few food options.

In the course of the study, 512 participants were tested, who went through a kind of food memory maze. The researchers had the group follow a fixed route through a room where eight foods or food flavorings were strategically placed.

Each participant sampled food or sniffed flavored pads as they walked through the maze. These tasty treats ranged from apples and cucumbers to potato chips and chocolate brownies. The group was also asked to rate how much they liked each food they encountered. The scientists then gave the volunteers a surprise test on where these snacks were.

The results showed that the group was 27% more accurate in choosing the correct location of high-calorie foods. This ability probably served humans well in the distant past. However, scientists are sure that today it can lead to health problems. A brain that can resist the urge to hunt for sweeter snacks is more likely to avoid the effects of junk food. Currently, researchers are studying how the displacement of high-calorie memory affects modern eating habits.