Oh, the vicious cycles that lead our health in a downward spiral, seemingly never-ending. When it comes to obesity, there are a number of these detrimental cycles. One involves the brain.
Pleasure receptors (known as D2 receptors) exist in the brain and are involved in—you guessed it—feelings of pleasure. Well, a recent study has found that obese people have fewer pleasure receptors and they overeat to compensate for this lack of pleasure. But overeating weakens the ability of the pleasure receptors to respond, creating yet more need to fill this pleasure void.
When you eat, dopamine is released in the brain. The more dopamine that is available, the more pleasure that is experienced. But with fewer dopamine receptors, obese people need to eat more to feel the same amount of pleasure as their lean counterparts.
This is a recipe for disaster, and explains why it can be so difficult for obese people to lose weight. I know that cravings can come from imbalances in the body and brain. That’s why I formulated Crave Be Gone. If you experience cravings (especially to carbs) then you might want to make those craves behave!