Could you be guilty of sabotaging the brain cells that control weight?
Now that calorie labels have been added to menu selections, do you dare look?
Do you really want to know that your favorite meal alone has enough caloric energy to power your body for a day or two, and that’s not counting the appetizer, the dessert and the beverage? For any of you who have experienced the yo-yo effect of dieting there may be some comfort in knowing that your “will power” is not totally at fault. That’s the good news.
The not-so-good news is that your over consumption of high-fat foods may be damaging the neurons by causing an inflammation in the hypothalamus area of the brain that controls body weight regulation.
Research from University of Washington, Seattle indicates that studies of the brains of rats and mice fed high-fat diets, not only gain weight but their brain cells experience hypothalamus inflammation.
According to Joshua Thaler, MD, PhD, a faculty member with the Diabetes and Obesity Center of Excellence, the weight control neurons in this area were damaged and some cell loss was recorded. At this time he is cautious by stating that it is uncertain whether the injury to these neurons is permanent but it may indicate that weight gain is affected by a over consumption diet of high-fats. Thaler believes these results are significant in understanding the rise in obesity and development of future treatment.
Now, I grant you comparing your brain to that of a rat or mouse might seem unfair, but it’s the best science has to offer at the moment.
However, since we do know that high-fat content foods are the ones we are most likely to over indulge in, and the hardest to control when we want to lose weight, it might just be that we are sabotaging our success.
Those weight control neurons packed away inside the brain cells of the hypothalamus might be suffering from an overload of the very tasty things we love the most.
I won’t be able to enjoy French Fries like I use to, but at the same time I’ll feel guilty if I don‘t relieve the suffering of my weight control neurons. How about you?
By Joyce Hansen
Resource Link: Science Daily