High-calorie Foods Cause Greater Responses In The Brain

Scientists discover why we get more satisfaction from junk food

Interestingly enough our brains prefer high-calorie foods, which causes greater responses, even if they taste worse then the low–calorie alternatives.

According to new research discovered by a scientist at Yale University, the brain has two different functions that fire when people eat.

One of the circuits responds to the blood sugar levels while the other is more simplistic and decides on whether the food tastes nice.

Commenting on the findings, Dana Small, a leading psychologist, told journal Popular Science that what the brain really cares about is the calories.

In contrast to this a survey taken by a group of volunteers' brains, which lead them to drinking artificially flavoured drinks - one containing low-calories and the other high in calories, was done over a period of three weeks. The research found that the group grew to prefer the one with the calories even though they could not taste the added calories.

To finish the study MRI scans were taken of the volunteers' brains and revealed that the reactions to high calories were greatest when their blood sugar levels were at their peak.

This reaction refers to the satisfaction from the food intake, which means people who over eat will respond more strongly to the highest calories.

LATEST HEALTH NEWS