As we all know, obesity is a danger to this country but it may be in more ways than one. There are the physical dangers that come with obesity that are pretty well-know, but thats not all. There are mental effects that will occur with the lifestyle choices of unhealthy people.
There is a lot of different things going on in the brains’ of obese people compared to the brains’ of healthy people. On the right is a picture taken by people who were researching dopaminergic response. Studies show that obese brains have a different response to pictures and smells of foods. They have more of an emotional response and have less control over their choices.
These choices come back to damage the brain in a vicious cycle. A high fat diet can break the blood-brain barrier, the only thing that protects the brain. Researchers believe that the increase in breakdown of the blood brain barrier is due to the circulation of beta amyloid from the high fat diet. Beta amyloid is associated with diseases such as Alzheimer’s.
There are also genes that factor in. Brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is a protein that fixes neurons. It is activated by many factors and one of them is leptin, which regulates fat storage in the body. Some people have variations of the BDNF gene and others have a genetic leptin deficiency that will cause and decreased amounts of BDNF.
When there isn’t enough BDNF the homeostasis of the brain is upset in. This causes a response of over eating trying to fix the homeostatic problem. The body wants more fat to produce more leptin in order to feel full. Leading the the vicious cycle of a high fat diet.
The question is did are the bad eating habits inevitable and part of a brain disease or did the brain disease stem from the poor habits?
