NPR story on emotional eating

On Feb. 22nd NPR did a story on how people who have lost weight have an increased emotional response to food (they used fMRI scans to see brain activity).   And there is less activity in the "executive" part of the brain which makes decisions (like not to eat the food!). 

So while not an excuse to give in to food, it does help explain some of the emotional pull food has on those who have lost weight and why maintanance is so difficult.

I noticed that when I couldn't eat and desperately wanted to eat, it really effected me badly. Stress eating was big before surgery...Early out, I just couldn't do it. I knew I'd hurt myself...so my reaction was to quit eating completely until I got my emotions under control...Afraid of losing control, I just wouldn't eat.

It's purely a mental journey once the weight comes off or you quit losing the majority...it's purely mental..A friend went over board and is now way under weight...it can happen.

I know that when we eat, our brains produce serotonin;  this is an exquisitely pleasurable hormone.  Why don't they mention that we are probably very sensitive to this???  This brain activity and MRI imaging just makes us sound like we are uncontrollable eaters.  We respond to the pleasure from serotonin.  Of course it's going to show up on the MRI.

This research wasn't looking for serotonin.   They were just looking at executive vs emotional functions in the brain.  I don't think that the research suggest we are at the mercy of our emotions anymore than anyone else is.  But it does show that we have to exercise our free will to make the rational choice over emotional choice--and it may be more difficult for those who have lost weight than for those who haven't.  I am a big believer in choice over biological drives (that's why our brains are so big).

There is a really interesting book on neurobiology and the food industry out right now--The End of Overeating ( the end of dieting or something like that!).

I wonder if a person satisfying any addiction would show the same result.  In other words, food addicts have this when they eat, crack addicts when they take crack, etc.

It may not be the eating of the food, but the addiction.

I don't know, but interesting question.  The researchers weren't looking at addiction, but emotional vs. rational functions. 

There is an interesting article about addiciton in the New Republic.  You can get to it via aldaily.com   If you go to the site, the blurb that starts, " The more we learn about addictions, the more they are regarded as diseases, with big implications for freedom and responsibility" under the New Books column will get you there.