We have all been there: you just eat a great dinner, but you are craving a small sweet. Is there a biological explanation of why we always want to leave space for dessert?
A team of Max Planck Institute for Metabolism Research He says yes, there is actually science behind the “stomach of dessert”, and everything starts in the brain.
Brain sugar
In their initial study, researchers used mice to investigate the brain reaction to sugar. More specifically, they focused on why sugar seems to cause a particular response in the brain, especially when the stomach is already full.
The scientists did a series of tests in the mice to help find an answer. First they allowed the mice to eat until they were full and then presented access to a solution of sugar, fatty foods or their normal food. The team also performed similar tests in hungry mice, presenting the same food options and monitored the neurological reactions that occurred in their brains – The results were surprising.
A sweet answer
A group of nerve cells, known as Pomc neurons, are responsible for many things. Mainly, they are key to the regulation of energy and metabolism. This regulation occurs through the release of signals to the rest of the body, such as telling us when we are full.
This group of nerve cells also indicates the release of one of the natural opiates of the body, which often occurs after eating sugar.
Once the mice received access to sugar, Pomc neurons illuminated and began to point out these opioid pathways. Interestingly, fatty or normal foods did not trigger the same response, and mice that ate sugar when hungry also did not exhibit neurological effects.
However, for complete mice, even the view of the sugary substance caused neurons to activate and flood their system with endorphins.
There was even a neurological reaction in mice that had never eaten sugar before. Once the mice had their first dessert test, the endorphins were released immediately and the strengthened cravings After subsequent consumption of sugar.
Read more: Sugar’s bad representative is worse than sweet things in itself
What happens to humans?
After executing the initial tests of tests in mice, the research team went to human volunteers to see if our brains had a similar reaction.
Once they had eaten until they were full, the volunteers received a solution of sugar through a tube, while scientists monitored their neuronal activity through brain scan. It was revealed that the same area of the brain showed responses in humans.
As in the brain of a mouse, human brains also have opioid receptors near neurons that indicate fullness. This leaves one Content and rewarded After finally giving in to those cravings of sugar after the comment, even if moments before, the neurons themselves told us to stop eating. For Henning Fenselau, the leader of the research group, this response probably has evolutionary roots.
“From an evolutionary perspective, this makes sense: sugar is rare nature but provides fast energy. The brain is scheduled to control sugar intake whenever it is available, “Fenselau He said in a press release.
Can we overcome the dessert stomach?
These findings are incredibly important for continuous scientific concern with the treatment of obesity.
During the study of mice, the researchers discovered that if they stopped the signal and blocked the opioid pathway in the brain, mice were no longer interested in eating sugar when they were full or otherwise. Although more research is needed, this suggests that a combination of drugs that block the road And the suppressor injections of appetites could have a revolutionary potential for those who suffer from obesity and excess disorders.
This article does not offer medical advice and should be used only for informative purposes.
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Article Sources
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As Marketing Coordinator of Discover magazine, Stephanie Edwards interacts with readers in discover social networks and writes digital content. Offline, is a contractual professor in English and cultural studies at Lakehead University, teaching courses above all, professional communication to Taylor Swift, and received her postgraduate degrees in the same department of the McMaster University. You can find more of your scientific writing in laboratory manager and your brief fiction in anthologies and literary magazines throughout the horror genre.
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