We were all there. You just finished a big meal – perhaps at a birthday dinner – your stomach says that there’s no room left for you. But then someone pulls out the dessert and suddenly you find space for slices of cake. Does it sound familiar? Well, it turns out that dessert cravings aren’t just about willpower and habits.
Researchers have discovered that the annoying cravings we often get for sweets, even when we’re already full, is a response in our body’s nervous system. In fact, the same neurons in our brains also cause sugar cravings.
A recent study in mice, conducted by researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Metabolism Research, found that neurons in the arcuate nucleus of the hypothalamus are responsible for controlling appetite, metabolism, and hormones.
These neurons are known as proopiomeranocortin (POMC) neurons. When released, they send signals to another part of the brain called the paraventricular nucleus (PVT) of the thalamus (PVT), which is involved in regulating the feeding behavior of our bodies.
Scientists involved in this latest study monitored mice when they ate regular food. After 90 min, the mice were full and ignored any additional food. But something fascinating happened when researchers introduced sweet treats like desserts. After reaching a certain level of bloating, mice, ignoring other foods, challenged their dessert cravings and came back more.
moreover, The researchers pointed out Neural activity between the hypothalamus and PVT was quadrant even before mice bite. They say this suggests that dessert cravings are not caused by eating sweets, but by expecting to eat them. In other words, the brain prepares for sugar intake as soon as desserts become available.
To further test this, the researchers used optogenetics. This is a technique that allows you to turn neurons on and off using light. Blocking the signal from the POMC to the PVT, the mouse ate 40% less dessert. They argue that this provides evidence that this brain pathway plays an important role in dessert cravings.
One ongoing theory is that sugar is much easier to convert to fuel than fats and proteins, and is a quick and efficient source of energy. Scientists believe that this neurological response is linked to human evolution. There may have been a time when our bodies needed a quick, dirty fuel source to keep our energy levels high.
If true, we can explain why we were driven into sweet foods and why so many suffer from dessert cravings. And it could go a long way in helping to create new weight loss medications that are actually designed to work with the body rather than oppose it.
