Study Shows Junk Food May Stop Your Brains from Controlling How Much You Eat

It doesn’t take much to recognize that food is a subject we all appreciate. Hang around any conversation for more than a few minutes, and it will be a topic of discussion.

That may be why we find the following study to be so interesting. Researchers looked at those who ate fast food and discovered that it might change how our brain processes information.

Photo: Pexels/Caleb Oquendo

More specifically, the study, which was published in the Journal of Psychology showed that eating high-caloric foods or high-fat foods may stop us from regulating how many calories we take in. In other words, it could make you overeat and gain weight.

According to a press release, the lead author of the study, Dr. Kirsteen Browning, said: “Calorie intake seems to be regulated in the short-term by astrocytes.”

Photo: Pexels/Pixabay

She went on to explain that eating those foods may disrupt the signal our brain puts out to empty the stomach. Over time, this can desensitize an individual to eating high-fat food.

Some 200 lab rodents were used in the study and fed a high-fat or standard diet. The diet length was one, three, five, and 14 days. They observed the rats to see how their appetite and digestion were affected.

Photo: Pexels/Andrea Piacquadio

Being exposed briefly to fatty foods didn’t appear to disrupt the pathways between the stomach and the brain. However, eating those fatty foods for 10 to 14 days produced results that affected the brain’s ability to regulate the amount of calories we eat.

They are still looking into whether this is a cause for overeating or if it is what happens due to overeating. One thing is sure, if the pathway between the stomach and brain is disrupted, it could cause overeating. Knowing this could also lead to a pill that targets the neurons that cause the problems.

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