Eating foods high in fats and sugars leads to changes in the brain, specifically in the dopaminergic system.
- According to research, foods high in fats and sugars alter our brains, specifically the dopamine system.
- Thus, regularly eating fatty and sugary foods – even in small quantities – teaches the brain to prefer these products, which are not recommended for the body.
- Researchers call for rethinking the “food environment” to fight obesity.
Do you find it hard to resist chocolate bars, packets of crisps or sweets when you go shopping? Researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Metabolism Research (Cologne) and Yale University have discovered why. They have shown that foods high in fats and sugars modify the brain: if you eat them regularly, even in small quantities, it learns to crave them later.
The brain learns to want sugar and fat
For this study presented in Cell Metabolism, the scientists brought together around fifty volunteers. Half had to eat a small pudding high in fat and sugar every day for eight weeks in addition to their normal diet. A second group had a dessert with the same number of calories, but less fat and less sweet. The participants’ brain activity was measured before and during the experiment.
The results showed that brain activity to foods high in fat and sugar was significantly increased in the group that ate the very sweet and fatty dish. This notably activated the dopaminergic system, the region of the brain that manages motivation and the reward circuit.
“Our brain activity measurements showed that the brain changes these connections after eating chips. It unconsciously learns to prefer rewarding foods. Thanks to these changes in the brain, we subconsciously always prefer food that is high in fat. and sugars”explains Marc Tittgemeyer who led the study.
Sugar: a preference that would persist thereafter
During this experiment, the volunteers who consumed the sugary product did not gain more weight than those in the control group. In addition, their blood tests (glycaemia, cholesterol) did not change either. However, the researchers assume that the preference for sweet foods developed during the experiment will persist.
“New connections are made in the brain and they don’t dissolve as quickly. After all, the whole point of learning is that once you’ve learned something, you don’t forget it. not so fast”explains Marc Tittgemeyer in a communicated.
Considering this “rewiring brain circuits” after the consumption of sugar and fat, scientists believe that modifying the food environment as well as reducing the availability of sugary and fatty foods on the market, are essential in the fight against obesity.