Running and other forms of aerobic exercise could help people to maintain self-control and prevent cravings for junk food, according to research published in the journal Psychosomatic Medicine.

Conducted by scientists at the University of Waterloo in Canada, the research sought to build on previous investigations which have found that people whose brains have strong function in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) region could have greater self-control when it comes to eating certain foods.

Research from other institutes has found that different forms of aerobic exercise could help to increase activity in the brain region, with this latest study looking at what happens when the process is reversed; by decreasing activity in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex.

The experts conducted their study on 21 healthy female participants, recruited from undergraduate psychology courses. Each of the participants underwent a theta burst stimulation procedure, which saw a coil placed on their scalps to administer transcranial magnetic stimulation to decrease activity in the DLPFC.

It was discovered that when the burst was delivered, the females had a higher interest in high-calorie snack foods, with almost no attention being paid to healthy options.

The participants also experienced food cravings and ate more junk food during the burst than when a fake stimulation was given for control purposes.

Despite the initial success of the study, researchers have called for more work to be done to explore the possibilities of impacting on eating habits over a longer period, as well as looking at how men respond.

The findings have added to a growing body of evidence that suggests the brain could be tailored to help boost positive health benefits, with another piece of research recently proposing that thebrain could be retrained to prefer healthier food options.