2023-06-13 16:39:50
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Is successfully losing pounds, but then gaining them back a very recognizable scenario? You are not alone. In fact, it’s not your fault that you’re stuck in that vicious circle. Dutch researchers have found the cause of the famous yo-yo effect in your brain.
Hanne Vandenweghe
A team of scientists, affiliated with the Amsterdam University Medical Center, states in a trade journal Nature metabolismthat less dopamine is released in the brain of overweight people. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that plays an important role in our brain’s reward system. The chemical ensures that we get a saturated feeling after eating. This effect is therefore smaller in people who are obese. The researchers also find that the brains of obese people are less able to register that there is food in the stomach at all.
The researchers base their findings on tests with a group of volunteers. They administer nutrients, including carbohydrates and fats, to thirty test subjects with a healthy weight and to an equal number of obese test subjects. During the experiment, their brain activity was measured and the amount of dopamine released was closely monitored. It showed that brain activity and the release of dopamine were strongly weakened in overweight participants. The scientists also saw that a three-month diet, which led to a 10 percent weight loss in the obese participants, was not enough to restore these brain responses. That discovery suggests that long-term brain adaptations that emerge in the context of obesity also persist. Even after weight loss has been achieved.
“The brains of overweight people have a reduced ability to detect food in the stomach, which can lead to overeating. The fact that these brain responses do not reverse after weight loss may explain why most people regain weight after an initial successful diet,” said lead researcher Mireille Serlie.
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