Consuming high-fat and high-sugar foods can change the brain’s response to these types of food and lead to a preference for unhealthy options, says a study from the Max Planck Institute for Metabolism Research in Cologne and Yale University. Researchers gave one group of volunteers a high-sugar and high-fat pudding per day for eight weeks while the other group received a pudding that contained the same number of calories but less fat. The group that ate the high-sugar and high-fat pudding showed a greater response to high-fat and high-sugar foods in their brain activity after the eight weeks. This activated the dopaminergic system, the area responsible for motivation and reward, and suggests that the brain unconsciously learns to prefer these types of food.
“Our tendency to eat high-fat and high-sugar foods, the so-called Western diet, could be innate or develop as a result of being overweight. But we think that the brain learns this preference,” said Sharmili Edwin Thanarajah, lead author of the study. The study participants did not gain weight, nor did their blood values, including blood sugar or cholesterol, change during the period.
Marc Tittgemeyer, who led the study, explained that through changes in the brain, people will unconsciously always prefer foods that contain a lot of fat and sugar. “New connections are made in the brain, and they don’t dissolve so quickly. After all, the whole point of learning is that once you learn something, you don’t forget it so quickly,” he said.
The study suggests that eating high-sugar and high-fat foods can train the brain to favour unhealthy foods in the future, regardless of whether individuals feel hungry or full. It emphasises the importance of developing healthy eating habits and regularly opting for healthy food options.
“Our measurements of brain activity showed that the brain rewires itself through the consumption of chips and co. It subconsciously learns to prefer rewarding food. Through these changes in the brain, we will unconsciously always prefer the foods that contain a lot of fat and sugar,” said Tittgemeyer.
While the preference for sugary foods will continue after the end of the study, the volunteers did not gain more weight than test persons in the control group, and their blood values did not change either. The study highlights the value of a balanced diet and the impact of food choices on the brain. It suggests that the brain can be retrained to prefer healthier food options over time through regular exposure to such a diet.
The results of the study demonstated that regular consumption even in smaller amounts, of high-fat and high-sugar food, can alter the brain’s subconscious preference for these types of food. As such, experts recommend people choose healthier options and limit their intake of high-fat and high-sugar foods to help train their brains to prefer these healthier options instead. By doing so, individuals can enhance their overall health and reduce the risks of conditions linked to unhealthy eating habits, such as obesity and type 2 diabetes.
