Can Obesity Change Your Brain Chemistry?

Overweight and obesity are both labels for ranges of weight that are greater than what is generally considered healthy for a given height. The terms also identify ranges of weight that have been shown to increase the likelihood of certain diseases and other health problems. For adults, overweight and obesity ranges are determined by using weight and height to calculate a number called the “body mass index” (BMI). BMI is used because, for most people, it correlates with their amount of body fat. 

BMI is just one indicator of potential health risks associated with being overweight or obese. For assessing someone’s likelihood of developing overweight- or obesity-related diseases, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute guidelines recommend looking at two other predictors:

 

  • The individual’s waist circumference (because abdominal fat is a predictor of risk for obesity-related diseases).
  • Other risk factors the individual has for diseases and conditions associated with obesity (for example, high blood pressure or physical inactivity).

 

Can Obesity Change Your Brain Chemistry?

Being obese increases your risk of diabetes, heart disease, stroke, arthritis, and some cancers. If you are obese, losing even 5 to 10 percent of your weight can delay or prevent some of these diseases. For example, that means losing 10 to 20 pounds if you weigh 200 pounds.

Previous studies have shown that obesity carries the power to overwhelmingly change your brain chemistry, according to researchers at the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center.

Study authors examined data on 43 men and women with different amounts of body fat. Findings revealed that obese individuals were more susceptible to environmental food cues than their leaner counterparts as difference in brain chemistry triggered habitual eating that was less rewarding over time.

Furthermore, findings revealed that obese individuals generally showed greater dopamine activity in the habit-forming centers of their brains than thinner counterparts as well as less activity in brain regions that controlled reward centers.

“While we cannot say whether obesity is a cause or an effect of these patterns of dopamine activity, eating based on unconscious habits rather than conscious choices could make it harder to achieve and maintain a healthy weight, especially when appetizing food cues are practically everywhere,” said lead study author Kevin D. Hall, Ph.D., a senior investigator at National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), in a news release. “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.”

Researchers believe that these brain differences may, in part, have to do with increases that explain why many overweight or obese individuals experiences less food enjoyment that leads to overeating.

More information regarding the findings can be seen via the journal Molecular Psychiatry.

article source: http://www.heemd.com/news/?md=650591/

http://www.scienceworldreport.com/articles/17089/20140910/overindulging-could-your-brain-chemistry-be-off.ht
photo credit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5wRwzZ2RbI

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