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Fatty Foods Scar the Brain

Rodents lose ability to monitor hunger, thirst

By Neal Colgrass,  Newser Staff

Posted Jan 7, 2012 2:07 PM CST

(Newser) – High-fat foods don't just make the midsection runneth over, a new study says. They also scar a part of the brain that monitors how hungry and thirsty we are. A recent study shows that fatty foods temporarily damaged the hypothalamus brain area of rodents in only three days, and scarred them permanently in the long run, CNN reports. No wonder we can't stop wolfing down the pastries and ice cream, doctors say.

"We’ve been talking a lot about diet and willpower and exercise and this sort of thing," says Dr. Steven R. Smith. "This is radically different [thinking]—that diets can actually re-program the structure of the brain." The results may not occur equally in humans, but they raise the question of whether we could re-wire our brains to lose weight. Or they let us blame the brain for our bad eating habits: "It gets us out of the blame game," Smith says.

Burger King's 'BK Quad Stacker' hamburger with four beef patties, topped with bacon, cheese, sauce, lettuce, pickles and onions is seen August 19, 2009, in Washington, DC.
Burger King's 'BK Quad Stacker' hamburger with four beef patties, topped with bacon, cheese, sauce, lettuce, pickles and onions is seen August 19, 2009, in Washington, DC.   (Getty Images)
Picture taken November 25, 2010 in a Paris restaurant of a hamburger and French fries plate. AFP PHOTO FRANCOIS GUILLOT
Picture taken November 25, 2010 in a Paris restaurant of a hamburger and French fries plate. AFP PHOTO FRANCOIS GUILLOT   (Getty Images)
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COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 31 comments
transferofhealth
Jan 9, 2012 2:24 PM CST
These fats are, unfortunately, often embedded in highly addictive, toxic foods.  This article makes me think it's a good time for a cleanse!
myflap.blow
Jan 7, 2012 7:37 PM CST
mmmmmmm, scarred tripe with a temporarily damaged hypothalamus. And a fine Chianti.
AustinFound
Jan 7, 2012 5:48 PM CST
The brain itself is the fattiest organ in the body, (in healthy people) which is one of the reasons it is so light. But it's not adipose tissue, ie. it's not energy storage. The fat content comes from the myelin sheath which surrounds the neurons, and myelin is composed of 80% lipid. It is actually thought that zombies are after the nutritious myelin. Edit: While that might be interesting to someone somewhere, it just dawned on me how unrelated this fact is to the story. Oh well.

 
obesity • dieting • fatty food

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