(30-04-10) Junk Food Found to Deteriorate Pleasure Center of Brain

by Kim Evans,

A new study just found that a diet with unlimited junk food desensitizes the pleasure centers of the brain. As a consequence, more and more junk foods were required to feel the same level of pleasure. The study used rats, but since rats and humans are wired pretty similarly in this region of the brain, the researchers think this might be the underlying cause of obesity and binge eating. In fact, the rats did keep eating until they became obese. But what's really interesting is that by witnessing the desensitizing of the pleasure centers of the rats' brains, we're actually witnessing the deterioration of their brains - and these researchers were able to pinpoint the brain's deterioration to eating large amounts of junk food. It shouldn't come as any surprise that junk foods deteriorate the brain because they actually deteriorate the entire body. In fact, processed foods, particularly junk foods, are at the root of a great deal of aging and disease. In addition, they overwork the liver and cause an accumulation of chemicals in the body - because junk and processed foods are often full of unnatural chemicals. Eating them also deprives our bodies of the whole foods from nature that we're meant to be eating. And these researchers found that this was enough to desensitize us to pleasure by deteriorating the brain. However, there's more to this than just health implications. With desensitized pleasure centers, it's likely that folks eating large amounts of junk food in their diet will be desensitized to pleasure in all areas of their lives. At some level, it means these folks won't be as happy or fulfilled by the joys that life routinely brings. In which case, the constant stream of pleasures that the universe provides for each of us will go unappreciated and possibly unrecognized. In fact, having this area of the brain malfunctioning is often implicated in feeling depressed. Another recent study from Oxford University tells us that in the U.K. 80 percent of men and almost 70 percent of women will be overweight or obese by 2020. Since many weight problems can be traced to eating large amounts of junk and processed foods, that's a whole lot of pleasure desensitization and brain deterioration going on - and it might add up to a whole bunch of depressed people. At least now more people will better understand one of the primary causes of feeling blue and unsatisfied in their lives - and can change their behavior accordingly.


Source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/h... http://www.nature.com/neuro/journal... http://www.ktradionetwork.com/tag/n... http://www.entelechyjournal.com/pul... http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2...

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