14 DAY TRIAL // The global obesity rate has been on the rise for quite a while now and according to evidence presented in the journal Molecular Psychiatry, faulty brain chemistry appears to have something to do with it.
Thus, researchers say that, while analyzing the brains of 43 overweight or obese men and women, they found that those packing more pounds had greater dopamine activity in the habit-forming region of their brain.
What's more, these people were found to have less dopamine activity in the region of the brain that is in charge of controlling rewards, Medical Express details.
Since dopamine is involved in reward, motivation, and habit formation, it was concluded that these obese individuals were more drawn to food than folks of a normal weight, but derived less pleasure from eating it.
“This means that triggers such as the smell of popcorn at a movie theater or a commercial for a favorite food may have a stronger pull for an obese person – and a stronger reaction from their brain chemistry – than for a lean person exposed to the same trigger,” explains Kevin D. Hall, Ph.D.
“These findings point to the complexity of obesity and contribute to our understanding of how people with varying amounts of body fat process information about food.”
“Accounting for differences in brain activity and related behaviors has the potential to inform the design of effective weight-loss programs,” adds Griffin P. Rodgers, M.D.
As encouraging as these findings might be in terms of discovering new ways to curb obesity, the fact remains that researchers are yet to determine whether these differences in brain chemistry cause obesity to begin with, or if maybe they emerge after a person puts on considerable weight.