In Food Cravings, Sugar Trumps Fat (
abstract)
The new research tracked brain activity in more than 100 high school
students as they drank chocolate-flavored milkshakes that were identical
in calories but either high in sugar and low in fat, or vice versa.
While both kinds of shakes lit up pleasure centers in the brain, those
that were high in sugar did so far more effectively, firing up a
food-reward network that plays a role in compulsive eating.
...
“We do a lot of work on the prevention of obesity, and what is really
clear not only from this study but from the broader literature over all
is that the more sugar you eat, the more you want to consume it,” said
Dr. Stice, a senior research scientist at the Oregon Research Institute.
“As far as the ability to engage brain reward regions and drive
compulsive intake, sugar seems to be doing a much better job than fat.”
Yes, but that's only half the story. Fat does not induce insulin production or hypoglycemia...
Another researcher who has studied the impact of fat and sugar on the
brain in people, Dr. David Ludwig, said it was not so much the
“immediate hedonic response” to junk food that drives overconsumption,
but its impact on the brain and the body over several hours.
Dr. Ludwig and his colleagues showed in brain imaging studies on adults
that high sugar milkshakes stimulate reward regions but also cause
spikes and drops in blood sugar levels. Four hours later, they showed,
these blood sugar drops stimulate changes in brain activity that induce
cravings — and those cravings are typically for foods that can quickly
restore blood sugar levels, like desserts, starches and sweets.
Hoo de freakin hoo!
