New research shows that brain responses to nutrients are decreased in people with obesity and do not improve even after weight loss. The study exposed that people with obesity launched less dopamine in a brain area important for food consumption inspiration, compared to those with healthy body weight. Furthermore, overweight participants showed decreased brain activity upon nutrition infusion into the stomach. The absence of brain response improvement after weight reduction might describe why most individuals gain back weight after preliminary successful weight-loss, the researchers concluded.
A joint study by Amsterdam UMC and Yale University exposes that obesity is linked to a lessened brain reaction to nutrients, which persists even after weight loss. This reduced action, which includes lower dopamine release and reduced nutrient-sensing activity, may add to the problem in maintaining weight-loss.
Brain responses to specific nutrients are diminished in people with weight problems and are not enhanced after weight loss, according to a study led by Amsterdam University Medical Centers (UMC) and Yale University, published today in Nature Metabolism..
” Our findings recommend that lasting brain adjustments take place in people with weight problems, which might affect consuming habits. We found that those with obesity launched less dopamine in an area of the brain crucial for the inspirational element of food intake compared to individuals with a healthy body weight. Dopamine is associated with the rewarding sensations of food consumption..
The subjects with weight problems also showed reduced responsivity in brain activity upon infusion of nutrients into the stomach. Overall, these findings recommend that noticing of nutrients in the stomach and gut and/or of dietary signals is decreased in weight problems and this might have extensive effects for food consumption.” says Mireille Serlie, lead scientist and Professor of Endocrinology at Amsterdam UMC..
Food intake is dependent on the integration of intricate metabolic and neuronal signals in between the brain and several organs, consisting of the gut and dietary signals in the blood. While these processes are significantly better comprehended in animals, including in the context of metabolic diseases such as obesity, much less is understood about what happens in humans.
In order to address this absence of knowledge, Serlie, who is likewise a teacher at Yale, and colleagues from both institutions created a controlled trial. This trial included instilling specific nutrients directly into the stomach of 30 participants with a healthy body weight and 30 individuals with weight problems, while all at once measuring their brain activity through using MRI and dopamine release using SPECT scans..
While the individuals with a healthy body weight displayed specific patterns of brain activity and dopamine release after nutrient infusion, these responses were significantly blunted in individuals with obesity. Additionally, 10% body weight loss (following a 12-week diet) was inadequate to bring back these brain reactions in individuals with obesity, recommending long-lasting brain adjustments happen in the context of weight problems and stay even after weight-loss is accomplished..
” The fact that these actions in the brain are not brought back after weight loss, may describe why many people regain weight after at first successful weight loss,” concludes Serlie.
For more on this research study, see Yale Study Finds Severely Impaired Response to Nutrients.
Recommendation: “Brain responses to nutrients are badly impaired and not reversed by weight reduction in humans with weight problems: a randomized crossover research study” by Katy A. van Galen, Anouk Schrantee, Kasper W. ter Horst, Susanne E. la Fleur, Jan Booij, R. Todd Constable, Gary J. Schwartz, Ralph J. DiLeone and Mireille J. Serlie, 12 June 2023, Nature Metabolism.DOI: 10.1038/ s42255-023-00816-9.
New research suggests that brain reactions to nutrients are reduced in people with obesity and dont improve even after weight loss. The research study exposed that people with weight problems released less dopamine in a brain area important for food intake motivation, compared to those with healthy body weight. The absence of brain response enhancement after weight loss might discuss why most people gain back weight after initial successful weight loss, the researchers concluded.
We found that those with weight problems released less dopamine in an area of the brain crucial for the motivational element of food intake compared to people with a healthy body weight.