Study Reveals Link Between Dopamine and Weight Loss Recovery: Why Do People Regain Weight After Slimming Diets?

2023-06-15 10:40:33

Where does this news come from?

According to the newspaper Het Nieuwsblad of June 13, 2023, recovering after losing weight is due to a chemical in your brain, namely dopamine (1).

• Dopamine plays a role in it reward system: a lot of dopamine contributes to a satisfied, pleasant feeling.
• People with a normal weight who eat something, produce more dopamine. That makes them feel better.
• People with overweighton the other hand, produce very little dopamine. As a result, they are more likely to keep eating.

Studies on the steering wheel clearly show that malnutrition causes changes in brain activity, causing an urge to eat. By eating more, the rats produce more dopamine and feel better.

Investigation of dopamine in humans

A team of Dutch scientists investigated the effect of food on the human brain (2).

• The researchers selected 2 groups of 30 adults.
  • Of first group adults had one normal body weight.
  • Of second group adults had overweight.
• The participants were probed fed while the brain activity was registered.
• The researchers repeated the same exercise after one weight loss of 10%.
• It’s remarkable brains of overweight people reacted differently on food than the brain of normal weight people.
  • In overweight people, the production of dopamine remained low. That didn’t change after they lost weight.
  • According to the scientists, the explanation of failed obesity treatments may lie in the brain.
    • The brain also works after a diet no more dopamine produce.
    • As a result, people tend to keep eating.

Bron

(1) Lose weight, but regain it immediately afterwards? Scientists discover why | The newspapaerJune 13, 2023

How should you interpret this news?

This interesting study on a small group of participants shows not indicates that a change in brain activity is at the origin of the jojo-effectregaining weight after a slimming diet.

This study shows well to that prolonged overfeeding the brain activity able to to influencemet possible adverse consequences.

• Dopamine production remains low, which may encourage people to eat more.
• That could play a role in the yo-yo effect and show that it is very difficult to lose a lot of weight through diet.

That’s why we have to bet on prevention of obesityespecially with young people. Prevention means making sure future generations don’t fall into the same trap and develop obesity.

Research shows that two years after a weight loss An hunger and urge to eat are still present (3).

• As a result, people gain weight again.
• The likelihood of having a BMI between 30.0 and 35.0 kg/m after one year² achieve a normal body weight is 1 in 210 attempts in men and 1 in 124 in women (4).
• For a BMI between 40.0 and 45.0 kg/m² that was 1 in 1,290 men and 1 in 677 women.
• Such failing numbers back it up importance of prevention.

Conclusion

Brain produces dopamine after eating, a feelgoodsubstance, which makes it easier for us to stop eating. This mainly happens in people of normal weight. The brains of obese people produce much less dopamine during meals, making them more likely to keep eating. A Dutch study shows that when adults with obesity lose weight, their brains still produce little dopamine. That is a possible explanation for the yo-yo effect, which means that the lost kilos often quickly regain. It is a small puzzle piece in the problem of obesity and certainly requires additional research.

References

• (2) van Galen KA, Schrantee A, Ter Horst KW, et al. Brain responses to nutrients are severely impaired and not reversed by weight loss in humans with obesity: a randomized crossover study. Nat Metab. 2023 Jun 12.
• (3) Coutinho SR, Rehfeld JF, Holst JJ, et al. Impact of weight loss achieved through a multidisciplinary intervention on appetite in patients with severe obesity. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab. 2018 Jul 1;315(1):E91-E98.
• (4) Fildes A, Charlton J, Rudisill C, et al. Probability of an Obese Person Attaining Normal Body Weight: Cohort Study Using Electronic Health Records. Am J Public Health. 2015 Sep;105(9):e54-9.