A recent study conducted by researchers in the Netherlands and the US has found that obesity impairs the brain’s ability to detect fullness and feel satisfied after consuming sugar and fat.
Even after significant weight loss, individuals with obesity were still less able to register food in their stomachs, which can have profound effects on their food intake, the study said. This highlights the complex connection between the gut, brain, and obesity, suggesting that weight loss is not solely dependent on willpower. The study challenges the belief that lack of self-control causes obesity, emphasizing the significant differences in nutrient sensing in the brain.
The neurological responses to stomach infusions of dietary fat or sugar were different in adults with medical obesity compared to lean adults, indicating a reduced release of dopamine, a neurotransmitter involved in creating feelings of reward from food that help regulate food intake.
WEIGHT LOSS
The research indicates that weight control is a complex process influenced by various biological mechanisms, which makes dietary changes and weight loss more challenging for individuals with obesity. The study focused on the striatum, a brain region responsible for regulating the drive to seek out and consume food. Reduced brain activity and altered dopamine release were observed in response to infusions of glucose and fat in lean participants, indicating normal neurological responses. However, individuals with obesity showed no significant change in brain activity or dopamine release in the striatum.
After undergoing a 12-week dietary weight-loss program, the participants with obesity did not recover the diminished responses in brain activity and dopamine release. This suggests that reduced nutrient sensing in the stomach and impaired brain responses to nutritional signals can have profound effects on food intake, obesity, and the challenges faced during weight loss and regain.
BRAIN SIGNALING AND WEIGHT MANAGEMENT
The study provides important insights into the role of brain signalling in obesity and weight management, indicating that it is a result of obese nature rather than a cause. The author5s stress for further research to determine when and how the brain loses its capacity to regulate food intake and what factors contribute to this switch, with the goal of developing prevention strategies.
The findings underscore the importance of addressing weight stigma and recognizing the complex nature of obese. The study published in journal Nature Metabolism, lays the groundwork for future investigations into the underlying mechanisms of obesity and potential therapeutic targets.
