High-fat, high-sugar foods alter brain receptors
ScienceDaily recently reported that over consumption of fatty, sugary
foods leads to changes in brain receptors, according to new animal
research at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. The new
research results are being presented at the 2009 annual meeting of the
Society for the Study of Indigestive Behaviour (SSIB). The results have
implications for understanding bulimia and other binge eating disorders.
Dr. Bello and colleagues report that either continuous eating or
binge eating a high fat, high sugar diet alters opioid receptor levels
in an area of the brain that controls food intake. Opioids are a family
of chemicals with actions similar to those of morphine; however, opioids
exist naturally in the brain and have been linked to feelings of
pleasure and euphoria. "These results are interesting because we saw
changes in opioid receptor gene expression in a brain area that controls
how much we eat during a meal", said Bello.
The new findings suggest that over-consumption of highly palatable
foods maintains bingeing by enhancing opioids in the brain, and that
increased opioids could be a factor involved in binge eating disorders.
These findings may help to understand the biological basis of eating
disorders. |