British newspaper says listening to heavy metal makes you fat

Talk show host Jeremy Vine discusses the Daily Star story (Image credit: Channel 5)

‘Heavy metal’ has taken on a whole new meaning, according to UK tabloid newspaper the Daily Star.

Under the headline ‘Metal Makes Us All Heavy – Loud rock linked to craving fatty foods’, the paper reports that the type of music we listen to may dictate what foods we eat, and subsequently, the size of our waist line. The Daily Star story, accompanied by a photo of Lordi, claims that heavy metal fans have a greater affinity for snacking on fattier foods. 

The newspaper article was picked up by the British talk show Jeremy Vine on 5, with guests on the May 10 edition of the show musing over the question “Does listening to heavy metal make you fat?”

Allegedly, the ‘science’ behind this story suggests that heavily distorted, noisy, fast tempo music gets listeners in the mood to feast on similarly hefty meals, or “bosh a kebab”. In comparison, it’s suggested that hearing soothing classical music or light jazz may cause the brain to encourage listeners to make ‘sensible, moderate’ dietary choices. 

As the British talk show hosts discussed the topic, co-anchor Storm Huntley speculated over her relationship between her own music taste and eating habits, stating, “I’m kind of R&B-pop. That doesn’t make me want to have a salad. Nothing seems to make me want to have a salad.”

“I don’t think AC/DC would be your thing,” Vine suggests, going on to state, “It just could be one of these classic things that very large people are drawn to heavy metal music rather than the other way round” before concluding “The music that makes us want to have a salad, we’ve yet to discover.”

Thankfully, this absurd topic wasn’t given too much attention, but you can watch the discussion at the very end of the Jeremy Vine episode

In a curious footnote, the last time the Daily Star ran a story on heavy metal, on April 10, it was under the headline ‘Heavy metal fan loses eight stone by dancing to favourite tunes’, which would seem to imply that listening to metal can actually make you thinner.

So, er, maybe take this story with a pinch of salt, whatever your dietary habits may be.

The Daily Star

(Image credit: The Daily Star)
Liz Scarlett

Liz works on keeping the Louder sites up to date with the latest news from the world of rock and metal. Prior to joining Louder as a full time staff writer, she completed a Diploma with the National Council for the Training of Journalists and received a First Class Honours Degree in Popular Music Journalism. She enjoys writing about anything from neo-glam rock to stoner, doom and progressive metal, and loves celebrating women in music.