Obesity is a major problem in these here United States. Our “microwave society” and “fast food lifestyle” have made eating awful “foods” and exercising little all too common. There are many excuses society makes for obesity: genetics, big bones, society pressures, stress-eating, and so on. The paper we read in Neurochemistry class this week may have just given people another thing to blame…
…the brain…
Yes, the brain’s signaling is linked to the development and maintenance of obesity. Factors that contribute to developing the signaling of the brain that can continue the cycle of overeating high caloric food include prenatal and postnatal food environments, inflammatory responses of the body, increased insulin levels, and genetic predispositions. One of the most interesting of these factors is the prenatal environment. High caloric intake of a mother during the prenatal period can lead to the offspring’s preference of high caloric foods. Inflammatory responses in the brain can be caused by overeating and may contribute to the further signals to overeat.
All of the above factors cause the brain to signal the reward pathways more and thus contribute to the sensation of wanting more food. The article calls the brain’s processing in obesity a “biological trap” since regardless of the initial trigger, excessive eating ends up being a circular pathway that worsens itself. Even structural changes can be seen in brains of obese people, and cognitive function has been shown to be decreased as well.
…But…
In all of this… reward pathways, maternal womb environment, genetic factors, inflammation… we are not helpless beings prone to do whatever our brains tell us to do whenever they say so. We are humans who make choices and can overpower even our natural or self-made tendencies. Rather than a brain disease, I see obesity as an addiction.
Addictions are hard to deal with and hard to stop (try taking away my coffee for a day), but they are not impossible to overcome. There are some real-life brain signals and crazy firing of the reward pathways going on with any addiction. This does not mean that a person must always be at the every whim of his or her addiction….
The brain’s crazy circular pathway, snowball effect of firing that comes with addictions definitely gives people room to talk about how hard it is to lose weight or how they are predisposed to obesity (think similar to alcoholism… some people are more prone to alcohol addiction). BUT that does not mean we can place all the blame on our brains. We must own up to the fact that we need help and we must get that help and make a change. So yes, blame your brain for its messed up signals and then get off the couch and eat a salad.
The article referenced: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0149763413001863
Image from: http://www.tastespotting.com/detail/227314/Santorini-Summer-Salad-Tofu-Feta-Recipe
Obesity and the Blame Game
