America has a problem
Obesity rates are on the rise in America. Obesity is currently the second leading cause of preventable death in the US behind tobacco use. Americans who have a lower education/income are more likely to become obese than those with higher education/income. A Southwest salad will leave you three dollars shorter than a Big Mac. There is a real concept in fast food called the “Bliss Point” with the perfect combination of sugar, salt and fat to make a “Sensory profile where you like food the most”.
The Vicious Cycle
Current research into the effects of eating lots of fat/carbs/calories (over nutrition) on the brain is shedding light on a scary truth. Whether a person is obese, overweight or very thin consuming high amount of carbs, fat or calories has been shown to very quickly cause brain inflammation. This is believed to be due to an excess of waste coming from the intestine during the digestion of excess food. This inflammation leads to a number of responses by the brain. For one the insulin signaling system in the brain can begin to breakdown and mitochondrial function can also be impaired. Unfortunately when the mitochondria do not work as well this makes the insulin signaling problem even worse. The insulin signaling system is actually a very important brain pathway and is shown to have an impact on a number of brain functions including memory formation, gene expression and metabolism. Another unfortunate truth is that when the insulin pathway is not working properly an increase in appetite and an increased palatability for high fat/calorie food has been shown to follow. This palatability towards high fat/calorie foods simply begins the cycle over again.
The Vicious Cycle of Obesity
