Dr Michael Smolensky, an expert in chronobiology (the study of the body's natural rhythms and cycles) at the University of Texas at Houston, says that people who live in countries that are cold in winter eat more than they do in warmer seasons: “Adults typically consume 6 to 7 per cent more calories in the winter.”

There could be many reasons why. Eating more in winter helped our ancestors to survive when food was scarce, and this drive to stock up on food reserves may be hardwired into our systems. So even though we have access to food pretty much 24 hours a day whatever the season, we still increase our consumption during the colder months.

Smolensky also notes that we discern tastes better in the evening and so enjoy food more. Since we spend more time at home in the evenings during winter, perhaps we make food an even more important focal point of the day. And after 5pm it apparently takes more food to make us feel satisfied than earlier in the day, so it is likely that we go on snacking after our main meal because we are stuck inside with nothing to distract us if we still feel peckish.

If you snack while watching TV, the chances are you that you go on eating without really registering what you consume. A recent study in the American Journal of Health Promotion revealed an association between TV viewing and the consumption of high-calorie snacks - obviously tucking into such energy-dense things as ice-cream, biscuits and cakes will add on extra pounds.

Winter depression - a form of seasonal affective disorder that is more prevalent in northern areas and in parts of the world with a high proportion of overcast autumn and winter days - is alsolinked to increased appetite, carbohydrate cravings and weight gain. However, this syndrome often responds well to artificial light therapy, and in spring begins to subside.

If you have a nutrition question for Amanda, e-mail amandaursell@thetimes.co.uk.

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