Researchers have discovered that “dessert stomach,” the second wind one gets when consuming sweets, is real and in your head.
A study published in the journal Science from the Max Planck Institute for Metabolism Research in Cologne, Germany, has found that dessert stomach exists and can be found in the brain. The scientists conducted experiments on both humans and mice and found that a specific group of neurons flared up and produced an endorphin that acted as a bodily opiate, encouraging food consumption as a reward despite the subject’s fullness.
Dessert stomach is as real as it gets
If you have ever thought to yourself while eating chocolate or another dessert, “I’m full, but I can’t stop eating this,” you’re not crazy. According to the paper’s author, neurobiologist Henning Fenselau, the premise makes sense as our brains evolved to desire sugar as a rapidly ingested source of energy.
“From an evolutionary perspective, this makes sense: sugar is rare in nature, but provides quick energy,” said Fenselau in a statement. “The brain is programmed to control the intake of sugar whenever it is available.”
The study began with the observation of mice. Specifically, the researchers monitored their brain signals when presented with sugar while completely stuffed. When the rodents saw the sugar, a group of nerve cells known as the pro-opiomelanocortin (PMOC) neurons fired off, thus allowing them to consume more food despite their satiated state.
The PMOC neuron action triggered the release of a hormone called ß-endorphin, which signaled to the mice a craving for sweets, disregarding the feeling of fullness. This is because the hormone acts as a sort of opiate, rewarding the mice for pursuing their craving. To further solidify their findings, the scientists found that the mice would not eat additional regular or fatty food, only sugar. Essentially, the mice always had room for more when it came to dessert.
In a follow-on experiment with humans, the study found that the same thing happens in the brain as with mice. The same region and same neurons fire when presented with a delicious dessert. According to the researchers, the findings could help combat obesity by providing a thorough understanding of the temptation of sugar, and could even lead to potential pharmaceutical solutions.
“There are already drugs that block opiate receptors in the brain, but the weight loss is less than with appetite-suppressant injections,” said Fenselau. “We believe that a combination with them or with other therapies could be very useful. However, we need to investigate this further.”
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