On a
platter of cheese, pretzels and donuts, most people will probably reach for the
donuts, according to a new study.
That
could be because the brain values foods like donuts, with both fats and
carbohydrates, more than foods high in only fats, like the cheese, or only
carbs, like the pretzels.
People
could be wired to want that deadly combo: Fats and carbohydrates together.
"We
were interested in exploring mechanisms that drive food reinforcement,"
lead author Dana Small, director of Yale University’s Modern Diet and
Physiology Research Center, told ABC News.
So how
do the digestive and emotional system work for different types of
macronutrients, like carbs and fats? And how do "man-made," processed
foods that contain both fats and carbs affect these mechanisms?
To find
out, the researchers took fMRI images of participants' brains while showing
them photos of different foods. They were given a limited amount of money they
could use to bid on their first-choices of the foods.
Their
answers were telling. Most were willing to pay more for foods with fats and
carbs together -- mostly processed foods like donuts, M&Ms or hamburgers --
as opposed to foods with just carbs, like bread and pretzels, or those with
fats and no carbs, like cheese or salami. /Getty Images
The
brain scans showed participants' brains lit up more when they were shown foods
containing fats and carbs, regardless of the number of calories, amount of
sugar or portion sizes.
This
suggests that foods with both fats and carbs activate the reward centers in the
brain and are more alluring and habit-forming, almost the same way drugs are
addicting. The participants were also not as good at predicting the number of
calories of foods with fats and carbs together, or carbs alone. They were
better at guessing the calories of foods with just fats.
"Our
study shows that when both nutrients are combined, the brain seems to
overestimate the energetic value of the food," Small said.
The findings
of the study suggest that the brain may have distinct pathways that guide
information about the fat-and-carb combination foods.
This
study may also provide "important insight in understanding how the food
environment is contributing to the obesity and diabetes pandemic," Small
said.
But, the
study was limited in some ways: It did not evaluate what participants normally
consume in their lives. What if somebody eats a lot of M&Ms normally – or
never eats M&Ms, but is offered some? In addition, this was a small study
done in Western Europe and eating habits can differ by culture.
Small
said further research could give more information about why people crave the
foods known to lead to obesity, why people eat even when they aren't hungry,
why it is difficult to lose or keep off excess weight and how the brain-gut
connection works for people with eating disorders.
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