How junk food fools us into overeating: Scientists discover too much fatty food damages nerves in the stomach that tell us we're full
- Study finds unhealthy diet can alter the balance of bacteria in the gut
- Those that thrive on fat then kill off others which prefer healthy food
- This can lead to inflammation of the nerves so the brain no feels full
- Scientists at the University of Georgia don't know if it is reversible
Eating too much fatty food can damage nerves in the stomach that tell the brain we are full, scientists believe.
An unhealthy diet can alter the balance of bacteria in the gut – encouraging those that thrive on fat to multiply and killing off others which prefer healthier food.
This can lead to inflammation of the nerves so the brain no longer senses signals telling us we have eaten enough, US scientists think.
An unhealthy diet can alter the balance of bacteria in the gut – encouraging those that thrive on fat to multiply and killing off others which prefer healthier food
They said their research on rats found higher-fat diets altered the animals’ brains.
Krzystof Czaja at the University of Georgia said: ‘When we switch the rats to a high-fat diet, it reorganises brain circuits. It induces inflammation in the brain regions responsible for feeding behaviour.
'Those reorganised circuits and inflammation may alter satiety signalling.’ He said this change can lead to ‘gut-brain miscommunication’ – such as thinking we are still hungry even though we have eaten plenty. It is not known whether the change is permanent.
In days gone by, our bodies would have been used to foods derived from natural sources. So the researchers speculate that artificial and highly processed foods might upset the balance of bacteria in our guts and end up confusing our brains.
Dr Czaja said: ‘In the regular physiological state, many different strains of bacteria live in a balanced environment in the intestinal tract. They don’t overpopulate.
‘There are little shifts, but in general this population is quite stable. When we start feeding the rats a different diet, there is an immediate effect. Suddenly, different nutrients are changing the microenvironment in the gut and some bacteria begin to overpopulate. Some sensitive bacteria begin to die and some populations may even vanish.
This can lead to inflammation of the nerves so brain no longer senses signals telling us we have eaten enough
‘So introducing a significant change in the gut microenvironment triggers a cascade of events that leads to this population switch.’
The change in balance and the inflammation caused can lead to ‘gut-brain miscommunication’ – such as thinking we are still hungry, when we have eaten plenty.
It is not known whether the change is permanent or reversible, the researcher said.
Our bodies would have been used to foods derived from natural sources – so the researchers speculate that artificial and highly processed foods might upset the balance in the bacteria in our guts and end up confusing our brains.
- Video captures Florida State QB punching woman in bar
- Grizzly bears caught fighting at Minnesota Zoo exhibit
- Amanda Peterson on her home and work life in 1987 interview
- Does William reveal what Prince George calls the Queen?
- Meet Bob the golden retriever: The world's friendliest dog
- Police Officer on moment he gave Declan his parking ticket
- Woman walks completely NAKED into a New Jersey store
- Planes float in for landing as high crosswinds continue
- See the world through the eyes of someone with Asperger's
- New video emerges of brutal Cincinnati sidewalk fight
- Whoopi Goldberg makes quaaludes joke on The View
- Horrible moment model is beaten by group of women in Ecuador
- Tragic final photoshoot of 80s bombshell Amanda Peterson...
- Now Djokovic loses his cool: World number one yells at...
- Subway SUSPENDS Jared Fogle and scrubs him from its website...
- Michelle Obama reveals her 'modest' $600k changes to White...
- Woman attacks her boyfriend in a drunken rage after he...
- EXCLUSIVE: 'My son was murdered by a Mexican illegal...
- ‘The city made a mistake’: Illegal immigrant who shot San...
- 'He thought it was a dud': Mother of Disney World star who...
- Paula Deen sparks yet another race row after posting a photo...
- Inside the Obama's $12m summer vacation spot: Seven...
- Mother who was stalked and threatened with sexual assault...
- Hero bystanders follow screams of 14-year-old girl into the...