Chocolate brownies and calorie restriction: the sweetest paradox?
BMJ 2023; 383 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.p2585 (Published 20 December 2023) Cite this as: BMJ 2023;383:p2585
- C A J Oudmaijer, MD-PhD student1 2 3,
- R A Pol, transplant surgeon4,
- R C Minnee, transplant surgeon1,
- W P Vermeij, postdoctoral researcher2 3,
- J N M IJzermans, transplant surgeon1
- 1Erasmus MC Transplant Institute, department of surgery, division of hepatobiliary and transplantation surgery, University Medical Center, Rotterdam, Netherlands
- 2Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric Oncology, Utrecht, Netherlands
- 3Oncode Institute, Utrecht, Netherlands
- 4Department of transplantation surgery, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
- Correspondence to C A J Oudmaijer c.oudmaijer{at}erasmusmc.nl
Food and the festive season are heavily intertwined, and for us one sweet treat stands out: the chocolate brownie. Whether it’s the fudgy centre or the crinkled crust, brownies’ irresistibly rich deliciousness evokes comfort and delight. And isn’t chocolate good for you?123
Offering food to healthcare workers is well established as a way to boost morale and show appreciation for their dedication.4 Sharing food increases trust, cooperation, and positive feelings towards others.5 It might also make the recipient more open to considering new evidence and ideas, which is crucial to advancing practice (and which can be challenging when findings contradict conventional wisdom6).
We wanted to know whether offering brownies affects how recipients respond to research findings on intermittent or short-term fasting. Fasting, which has garnered attention recently,7 involves a temporary reduction of caloric …
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