Results reveal a “one-two punch” to the brain's reward system, possibly impeding dieting efforts. Understanding why we overeat unhealthy foods has been a long-standing mystery. While we know food's strong power influences our choices, the precise circuitry in our brains behind this is unclear. Th

The vagus nerve sends internal sensory information from the gut to the brain about the nutritional value of food. But, the molecular basis of the reward in the brain associated with what we eat has been incompletely understood.

Now, a new study published in Cell Metabolism by a team from the Monell Chemical Senses Center, unravels the internal neural wiring, revealing separate fat and sugar craving pathways, as well as a concerning result: Combining these pathways overly triggers our desire to eat more than usual.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1550413123004667?via%3Dihub (open access)

  • @naevaTheRat@lemmy.dbzer0.com
    12•5 months ago

    Cool! Early days yet but seems promising.

    I immensely dislike how healthy food consumption is this weird moral battleground while at the same time we basically give corporations free reign to manufacture powerfully incentivising unhealthy food. It’s like allowing someone to turn your whole city into a casino and then getting mad at people who develop gambling problems.

    Increased understanding might lead to better regulation (I’m a cynic here because if you’re not mad at this point will anything make you want to crack down on junk food?), but hopefully at least better drugs for people that want help changing eating behaviours.