A team of researchers from the Japanese Institute of Physiological Sciences found that the activation of neurons caused by social stress increases the appetite, and especially the desire for carbohydrates, in the tested mice.
Rodents exposed to social stress ate food rich in carbohydrates three times more and faster than mice under normal conditions. Also, for the sake of carbohydrates, they halved their fat intake.
Research results have shown that the brain plays an important role in the selection of carbohydrates and fats. This study may provide an answer to why we have a hard time resisting sweets and fast food. Humans generally select what to eat based on taste as well as body condition, but the exact mechanism by which they make the selection has always remained a mystery.
"Many people who eat a lot of sweets under stress later blame themselves because they are unable to understand their own impulses," said Yasuhiko Minokoshi, the author of the study. – "But if they know it's because of neurons, maybe they won't be so hard on themselves."
Minokoši warns that it is difficult to immediately apply the research results to popular diets.
"If we find a certain molecule in the neuron and target it to suppress these activities, it will make our diet and nutrition in general much healthier," he points out, reports B92.
Bonus video:
