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Hunger Hormones Affect Decision Making


Stashed in: Decisions, Brain, Awesome, Nutrition!, Nutrition, Mental Health, Weight Loss, Hormones, Fasting, Weight Loss

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“Our results showed that restricting ghrelin effects to the ventral tegmental area, the part of the brain that is a crucial component of the reward system, was sufficient to make the rats more impulsive. Importantly, when we blocked ghrelin, the impulsive behavior was greatly reduced,” says Karolina Skibicka.Even a short period of fasting, a more natural way of increasing the release of ghrelin, increased impulsive behavior.

Long-term changes

Impulsivity is a distinctive feature of many neuropsychiatric disorders and behavior disorders such as ADHD, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), autism spectrum disorder (ASD), drug abuse and eating disorders.

The study also showed that increased levels of ghrelin even caused long-term genetic changes in the brain circuits that are linked to impulsivity and decision making. A ghrelin injection into the brain that resulted in impulsive behavior in rats, caused the same type of changes in dopamine related genes and enzymes as can be seen in ADHD and OCD.

Mo' ghrelin, mo' problems.

So is the solution to keep eating a little throughout the day?

I do not think there is any one solution.  I think there is a strategy that incorporates MANY solutions.

It's so confusing to know what to do, Geege. 

We're works in progress,  Adam.

Okay but where do I begin? Eating five or six small meals a day?

It won't hurt to try that.

My fave snack is sliced cucumbers and raw almonds.  Bacon and bibb lettuce isn't bad either. :)

Those are good low carb snacks. That seems like a good start. :)

Mo' on metabolism: "Research Affirms that Diets Don't Lead to Weight Loss, Health Gains"

http://www.kqed.org/a/forum/R201605100900

So basically, get rid of diets and eat in a way you can eat the rest of your life?

Yes, but if it's a radical departure from how you've always eaten your body will read it as a "diet" and, apparently, your body will punish its own ass.

So we need to slowly evolve our eating habits?

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