By Edward J. Thomas –
It couldn’t be more appropriate that a country that offers the world strudel and schlag has provided people everywhere with the reason that they’ll gobble up a big heavy dessert no matter what they’ve eaten beforehand. The brain fuels dessert dives, making it nearly impossible to resist that final indulgence.
Apparently, it all comes down to some nerve cells in the brain, according to researchers at Germany’s Max Planck Institute. More specifically these researchers found that nerve cells in mice called POMC neurons are responsible for people diving into big desserts no matter how full they may be.
This revelation could ultimately help those fighting obesity. The neurons involved become active as soon as belly-full mice–and probably people–are given access to sugar, igniting their appetite. The ignition process, however, isn’t simple.
First off, the German team found that when mice are full and eat sugar, cells not only release signaling molecules that tell the mice they are stuffed, but they also support the spread of opiate: ß-endorphin. Therein lies the confusing rub.
This endorphin ignites other nerve cells with opiate receptors, which triggers a feeling of reward. This causes mice—and again, probably people—to eat sugar-laden products even though they are stuffed.
This triggering system was specifically activated when the mice ate additional sugar, but not when they ate normal or fatty food. When the pathway was blocked, the mice stopped their sugar rush.
The research wasn’t limited to mice. The Max Planck team also carried out brain scans on volunteers who received a sugar solution through a tube. They found that the same region of the brain reacted to the sugar in humans. They noted that there are many opiate receptors in people that are close to satiety neurons.
“From an evolutionary perspective, this makes sense: sugar is rare in nature, but provides quick energy. The brain is programmed to control the intake of sugar whenever it is available,” explained Henning Fenselau, research group leader.
The findings could open new pathways for treating obesity.
“There are already drugs that block opiate receptors in the brain, but the weight loss is less than with appetite-suppressant injections. We believe that a combination with them or with other therapies could be very useful. However, we need to investigate this further,” Fenselau said.
