In a study that could have implications for the treatment of obesity and eating disorders, researchers have mapped the brain's activity as we eat sweets. They found:
The hypothalamus, a brain structure linked to controlling eating behavior, is activated immediately after subjects consumed a sugar solution and again about 10 minutes later.
The initial peak was most likely due to stimulation of the taste buds from the sugar.
The second peak at 10 minutes appears to be related to the regulation of insulin, which is released to transfer the blood glucose into the body's cells.
Previous studies have found that insulin regulation is tied to the satiety mechanism in the brain, telling people when they are full.
This mechanism may be flawed in obese people.
Researchers tracked the subjects response to glucose in the brain with a technique known as temporal clustering analysis (TCA), which reveals where and when brain activity is occurring. TCA can be used to identify the maximum brain response and create a time frame to identify when brain activity occurs.
Nature 2000;405:1058-1062.
For those who need to know mechanisms it is nice that science is documenting the details of how sugar disrupts our body. Sugar does not help most of us. If you want to stay healthy you should limit it to the lowest possible level and if you are addicted, as most of us are, don't fool yourself. Addicts cannot tolerate even small amounts and should avoid it entirely.
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