Obesity has unarguably become one of the biggest issues facing our society. This week we discussed two molecules, insulin and leptin, specifically relating to obesity. Insulin and leptin are considered ‘adiposity signals’ meaning that the levels of these molecules is directly related to the amount of adipose tissue (fat) that we have circulating in our bodies. Research has shown an increase in insulin results in a decrease in food intake and therefore a decrease in body weight; conversely, those deficient in insulin experience hyperphagia (excessive eating) resulting in an increase in body weight. Leptin has been shown to be necessary for normal control of food intake and body weight. Individuals deficient in leptin or leptin receptors experience extreme hyperphagia and therefore obesity.
Neurologically, there are two sets of neurons located in the hypothalamus that can relay the signals of insulin and leptin. The two types of neurons have opposite effects on food intake and energy expenditure. First are neurons which express proopiomelanocortin (POMC); they are activated by an increase in insulin and leptin and result in a reduction in food intake and an increase in energy expenditure. Second are neurons which express neuropeptide Y (NPY) and agouti related protein (AgRP); they are activated by a decrease in insulin and leptin and result in an increase in food intake and a decrease in energy expenditure.
The issue with this system seems to be that we can become insulin or leptin resistant, meaning our brain can no longer control our eating habits. The exact mechanism of this is not entirely known however, high fat diets have been shown to lead to resistance. So, if we decrease the amount of high fat foods we consume, we could help ourselves prevent this control system from falling apart.
In order to do this we must look at reasons we have diets that are high in fat: one such reason is emotional eating. Emotional eating can be defined as eating for reasons other than physical ones. It occurs when we eat to satisfy or reach a certain feeling; we eat when we are sad, stressed, bored, happy – basically eating can be associated with any emotion. A representative from the University of Maryland indicated that, in fact, over 75% of over-eating is emotional eating – that is a shocking number considering the only reason we need to eat is for physical reasons (need for more energy).
Research has shown that ice cream is the number one go-to emotional food; for women, chocolate and cookies are next on the list and for men pizza and steak are most commonly eaten. Researchers have found that many ‘comfort foods’ consumed during emotional eating are very high in fat. This becomes an issue when emotional eating is the only coping mechanism one has to deal with emotions. We take in significantly more calories than our bodies need and the foods we eat tend not to be very healthy. So what can we do about it? Well many sources indicate that becoming aware of emotional eating is the start. Every time before you start eating, determine your emotion, how strong that emotion is, and what food you are reaching for. By keeping a food diary you may notice how often you are eating for reasons other than physical ones and how much of an unhealthy food you are taking in. So, put down the ice cream and rate your emotion!
*For more information on how to control your emotional eating check out: WebMD: Controlling your emotional eating
Step Away From the Ice Cream!
