WEDNESDAY, June 4 (HealthDay News) -- Your nerves, rather than your eating habits, may have a more direct role in whether you are fat or thin, according to new research.

A study on worms shows that serotonin levels in the nervous system influence feeding and fat. Serotonin, a neurotransmitter, also acts independently to control eating and what your body does with those calories once they've been consumed, the study said.

Eating plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables and drinking black or green tea may help reduce smokers' lung cancer risk, suggests a University of California, Los Angeles study.

I was talking to someone recently who said that beer or soda was ok because it was just 'empty calories' and didn't matter as much since there is not a whole lot of fat invloved. However, I know that sugar turns to fat if not immediately used for energy (and who goes for a jog after comsuming a 6-pack?!) so it seems empty calories matter.

But I am still not sure of the real meaning of 'empty'. Does it mean there is no nutrition in them, or that they provide no energy?

Does anyone know much about nutrition and the kinds of fats and calories we should be eating?

Thank you!

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