Changes in brain ‘may be responsible’ for weight loss

A new study shows that weight loss depends not only on medication and personal preference, but also on how the brain responds to food.

In a study published in the journalNatural metabolismIt turns out that the brain’s response to food can make a big difference in some people’s struggle to maintain weight loss.

The study found that the brain responds differently to nutrients in obese people, even after significant weight loss.

The researchers studied 60 participants over the age of 40. Half of them were diagnosed with obesity and the other half were not obese.

Different solutions containing glucose, fat or water alone were injected directly into participants’ stomachs on separate days. Brain responses were measured using functional magnetic resonance imaging scans about 30 minutes after the solutions were administered. The researchers also measured hormone levels in the blood and appetite levels reported by the participants.

The results showed that a group of non-obese participants correctly activated reward centers in the brain in response to nutrients, whereas, in contrast, these same brain regions were not activated in obese participants.

This finding did not change after repeated testing in obese participants three months later and after they lost 10 percent of their weight due to the diet.

Experts say this lack of reward response can lead to overeating and make it difficult to change eating habits that contribute to weight gain.

Experts emphasize that these results do not guarantee that a person with obesity cannot lose weight and maintain this weight, but despite this, they believe that the results will help in obesity-targeted treatments.