Room for dessert? Here's why your brain says yes to sugar
Category: Wine & Food
Via: hallux • one month ago • 18 commentsBy: Regina G. Barber, Emily Kwong, Berly McCoy, Hannah Chinn, Alejandra Marquez Janse, Scott Detrow - NPR
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
When you've eaten a good meal at a restaurant and the waiter asks, "Got any room for dessert?" where does the voice that craves a gratuitous slice of pie come from?
Your brain.
Scientists now have a better understanding of the neural origins of this urge thanks to a new study published in the journal Science last week.
Mice brains are structurally similar to human brains. So, to isolate the neural pathways responsible for "dessert brain," the researchers turned to mice.
Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Metabolism Research fed mice to the point of fullness and then gave them sugar. In doing so, they found that the same neurons signaling satiety, or fullness, also released β-Endorphin, a naturally-occurring opiate. This chemical bound to opiate receptors in the mice brains and triggered a feeling of reward. When the team then blocked this opiate pathway, the mice stayed away from the sugar.
The researchers found the same neural mechanism in humans when studying donated brain tissue and scanning the brains of volunteers.
Henning Fenselau , one of the study authors, says this suggests that people's brains evolved to love sugar in excess. "Because sugar is so easy to metabolize, its consumption beyond energy needs is favorable for animals," he says.
Ultimately, the team hopes this research can lead to a better understanding of sugar overconsumption, obesity and more sophisticated weight-loss drugs.
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I knew it, it's all Perrie's fault ...
That article could explain why I love cheese so much, even though there are no rodents in my ancestry.
IIRC, evolution has made dairy productsd mildly addicting.
Why?
Because newborn babies (Mammals) need to want to drink mothers milk to suvive. So Evolutionary forces have found a way to ensure babies really want to drink mothers' milk.
At one point Whole Foods Market taught experimental nutritional courses at 6 test locations. At the time there seemed to be evidence that a Vegan diet was the healthiest. I took some classes with a well-informed teacher (he had also been a chef at Le Bernadin & one other top restaurant).
One day we had a discussion about whether it was difficult to give up eating meat. His answer surp[rised me-- he said he little difficulty giving up meat once he nade up his mind to go Vegan, but what he had jhad problems with was giving up...cheese!
My new interesting fact I've now learned today.
Which means there is no way I would ever go Vegan, even if I had thought about it, which I never have thought about anyway.
The Chinese people are not at all into cheese - the only cheese most know about is processed cheese slices which are sold in groceries and supermarkets, and what they eat in a McDonald's or Burger King cheeseburger. I have to go to a big box store like METRO that imports foreign foods to get my variety of coveted cheeses. Unfortunately I have never been able to get my favourite, Stilton, but I can get Emmenthal, Swiss (Emmental is better), aged Chedder, Gouda and a somewhat substitute for Stilton, Roquefort. I used to be able to get Monterey Jack but I can't find it anymore.
When I'm at a restaurant I usually pass on dessert but when I get home I crave something sweet. We usually have cookies in the house or ice cream
... you're sweet enough already. I was unaware there were restaurants without drive up windows where you are ...
Would you believe Olive Garden does not have a drive-up window?
And thanks for thinking I'm sweet. I got you fooled
they have 3 parking spots next to the side door for internet orders ...
you benefit from a regional adjustment ...
Chocolate chip cookies, along with Kroger "Chocolate Paradise" ice cream!
Or chocolate coated chocolate donuts with chocolate milk.
Blueberry and banana pancakes with real maple syrup
... absolutely, corn syrup is a die fat and starving killer.
I may not agree with your politics, but when it comes to really good eating, you're 100% in my book.
Morning... pavlova wins hands down..
Meringue with marshmallow inside it, topped with fresh cream and any fruit you desire...my SIL made this one for Christmas..
Or even better... pavlova roll sigh..
I had never heard of Pavlova (the food). So I googled it:
The Kiwi's think they created it but as usual it's small country syndrome..it's all ours...
Next they will be saying they invented Vegemite..
Nor have I, but it looks pretty good.
Alas-- nothing can quite beat those fabled ERBs!
(That's "endemic red berries" to all you home gamers!)