Gallery: Science Confirms the Obvious!

Gamblers Don't Learn From Their Mistakes

The Study

"Executive Function Abnormalities in Pathological Gamblers,” Clinical Practice and Epidemiology in Mental Health, March 2008

The Findings

A trip through Las Vegas will reveal plenty of two-time (and 20- and 100-time) losers who haven’t learned when to walk away. Although scientists suspect that a mix of genetic and environmental factors causes compulsive gambling, they haven’t pinned down what’s going on in an addict’s mind that keeps him at the table. Researchers at the University of Pisa in Italy put 20 diagnosed compulsive gamblers through several tests, including a card-sorting exercise. The gamblers displayed normal verbal and memory skills but had difficulty solving problems and took longer than average to learn from their mistakes or look for alternative solutions. Instead of changing strategies, the persistent gamblers showed signs of “cognitive rigidity” and repeatedly tried ineffective solutions.

Why Bother?

The goal is to find a cure for compulsive gambling, and although the sample group is small, this study suggests that a root cause might be abnormalities in the prefrontal lobe—the gamblers’ problems were similar to those of people who had suffered minor brain damage. It’s not a cure, but neurologists now at least know where to poke and prod.

Potato Chips are Bad for You

The Study

“Chronic Intake of Potato Chips in Humans Increases the Production of Reactive Oxygen Radicals by Leukocytes and Increases Plasma C–Reactive Protein: A Pilot Study,” The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, March 2009

The Findings

For four weeks, researchers at the National Institute of Food and Nutrition in Warsaw, Poland, and others fed 14 healthy men and women 5.6 ounces of potato chips each day—roughly half a family-sized bag. They monitored the effects of acrylamide, a compound that forms while cooking certain starchy foods like chips and fries. After 28 days, the subjects had higher acrylamide levels and related inflammation that can lead to atherosclerosis, a cardiovascular disease involving hardening of the arteries.

Why Bother?

Acrylamide was first detected in junk foods in 2002, and it could be a menace on the order of trans fats. The researchers say their study “indicates that high-acrylamide ingestion may constitute a new dietary risk factor for atherosclerosis progression, both in a healthy population and in patients with coronary artery disease.”