Food Lovers Fat Loss System The Gut, the Brain and a Big Fat Belly!.
Hello Brain, this is Stomach calling to tell you I've had enough. Oh, shut up stomach, I'm watching TV... will somebody pass the fries please!
I guess you're not too surprised by the brain's response but what is it telling us? We'll explore that in more detail in a moment or two, so for now we'll simply conclude that the "hungry on" signal is more powerful than the "hungry off" signal.
If you are thinking was it always that way or has our modern lifestyle dulled our sensitivity.. I am that wondering too. Perhaps we've created a life of gratification such that satisfying a need has become much more compelling than sensible denial.
Anyway, whatever the reason, for many of us the 'hungry off" signal has become so subtle that we practically have to make a conscious effort to recognise it. In short, it's much easier to know when you're hungry than when you're satisfied (without stuffing yourself with food)
Of course, that's not the way things should be. So how should it work?Let's see what we can work out for ourselves. Perhaps a good place to start is by constructing a framework to guide our discussion. I don't intend to stick rigidly to it but we can use it to alert us to the sorts of things we need to consider as we explore appetite control.
* There have to be indicators: By that I mean there has to be messages to tell the brain whether you are hungry or not.
* We need a transmission component: By that I mean the messages have to get to the brain.
* We need sensors: By that I mean that something has to be in place in the brain to receive the messages
* Making sense: There has to be somewhere in the brain to understand and process the messages once they've been received.
* Decision and action: It's no good if the messages once understood are not acted upon so this has to be initiated.
I think that will do for our purposes so let's start the discussion... It would be reasonable to expect that the gut and the brain would keep watch on nutrient levels and the body's energy balance as controlled by the metabolic rate (the rate at which energy is used) and act to maintain homeostasis (the process by which the internal systems of the body maintain a balance).
The gut would need to know what nutrients were stored and accessible as well as what nutrients are available but have not yet been absorbed into the stomach. Then there are the nutrients already in the bloodstream. Since the brain would want to know about those levels we have to assume that they pass through the blood-brain barrier so that the levels can be assessed as good, not-so-good and where are they!
Apart from the messages in the form of nutrient levels and chemicals released by the gut into the bloodstream, it is reasonable for us to think that there are other means by which the gut and brain can chat. And the most obvious way would be neuronal messages via the central nervous system. Okay that was a bit too general so let's look more closely at the hungry "on" and hungry "off" systems... Hungry "on" signal Ghrelin is an appetite-suppressant hormone produced mostly in the gut. Its purpose is to send a signal to the brain that we are hungry. As you might expect concentrations of Ghrelin in the bloodstream fall during fasting and rise after a meal. Ghrelin acts on certain areas of the brain including the hypothalamus (concerned with the body's metabolism), and the reward centre - the mesolimbic pathway. Its release can be triggered by fasting, as already suggested, but also by the smell and sight of foods, and the desire for pleasure and satisfaction. We program foods into our brain...
I just made a statement that the sight and smell of certain food may trigger the release of Ghrelin and so stimulate our appetite. This may occur even though we do not necessarily feel hungry at that time. How can this be so? The simple answer is that foods are acquired tastes. What I mean is that the like or dislike of certain foods is something we have taught ourselves. We were not born with the brain hard-wired to dislike or like any particular foods. So if we try chocolate, for example, and find it does nice things for us we store that memory away for future reference. It's the same with all foods whether we like them or not the impression gets stored in memory. That means it will most likely take a repeated conscious effort to change that memory. This simply reinforces that statement that the mesolimbic pathway is involved in the hungry "on" decision. However, I see that as an 'internally imposed' influence, for want of a better description. In other words we are responding to a stimulus that is self-imposed in the sense that you programmed into your brain your likes and dislikes - I'm not sure that explains it any better!
Pease bear with me while I make an artificial distinction in order to bring to your notice what I refer to as an 'externally imposed' influence and again it is to do with the emotional brain. I'm trying to separate out stimuli from sources that have a strong presence such as the sight of a chocolate cake or the smell of bread baking from those which, although no less powerful, are more subtle. in their presence. For example, that look your lover gives you... nothing needs to be said you just know what it means. Why is the distinction artificial? Well, both types of stimuli occasion responses from your belief system which you have programmed into your memory so at that fundamental level there is no difference between what I've called internal and external stimuli.
Okay, that's got that out of the way, now let me try to illustrate with an example. Suppose we take our meal and sit down to watch our favourite TV program, we often consume the whole meal without really giving it much thought. After all, why should we when we're caught up in the drama unfolding on the screen. We may become so involved and our emotions so aroused that unless the hungry "off" signal is strong it stands little chance of being noticed, let alone acted upon.
Back to the hungry "on" signal... The hungry "on" switch turns on the foraging activities...hunting and gathering. Nowadays of course, we don't have to go out and hunt and gather to satisfy our hunger, we just open the fridge, or pop out for a takeaway or if we're feeling really lazy order home delivery.
Hungry "off" signal By design, the hungry "off" signal is not as powerful as the hungry "on" signal. The reason is that, pre-historically, survival required action and it was always useful to have a supply readily available in the form of body fat. However, that's not to say that the body over the long-term didn't maintain a relatively precise energy balance.
Of course, our modern lifestyle is radically different from that of even 100 years ago, let alone compared with pre-history... but our genetic makeup has changed little and certainly hasn't adjusted itself to a lifestyle of inactivity and plenty. Can you see the problem the body has in trying to maintain a healthy energy balance in conditions imposed on it that are in an historical sense, foreign to it.
But cheer up, all is not lost, we do have some other players on our team... Introducing... belly distension! We all, no doubt, have experienced or should I say observed, at one time or other the expansion of our stomach following a big meal. It feels uncomfortable, and it's meant to, for it's a signal to your brain that you're full. Unfortunately, it takes time to become apparent by which you've probably already eaten too much. But at least it's a start!
So what else do we have on our side? How about gut hormones!
We have a back-up system provided by the release of certain substances in the gut. These travel to the brain where they increase feelings of satisfaction. They also tell the stomach it's time for serious digestion to start.
And there's still more support...along comes leptin! Leptin is really handy. It's produced by body fat and travels to the brain in the blood- stream. When it gets to the brain it tries hard to nullify the effects of Ghrelin so that we know longer feel we want to eat. The more body fat you have the more leptin you produce and the less you want to eat. - that's the theory, anyway. But as we observe from the prevalence of obesity the theory doesn't seem to work too well in practice. There are some other appetite suppressant messengers like BDNF and NAPEs the characteristics of which you can follow up if you're interested.
Where's it all gone wrong? Why the obesity epidemic... is it the brain's fault. The answer is yes and no! We have already touched on some possible reasons, but let's refresh our memory. We discussed the fact that genetically we are predisposed to carry some fat reserves for use in emergency situations. Such situations might include: facing starvation, energy needed to hunt prey for the next meal, energy needed for physical protection against human and animal invaders or conservation of heat in cold weather and so on. So, in that regard it is the brain's fault in the sense that it is genetically programmed to store some fat. But, of course, pre-historic man was highly active so his body had little trouble in maintaining a long-term energy balance.
Contrast our modern lifestyle with the ready availability of food so there's no need for hunting and gathering. Modern transport systems take us from door to door, so there's no need to walk or run anywhere. We are encouraged to sit and watch rather than participate. We have air-conditioners to keep us cool and heaters and thick clothes to keep us warm so we don't need to expend energy on heat generation or conservation.
It's no wonder the poor body is struggling to maintain a healthy energy balance. By energy balance I mean balancing the energy (calories) coming in with that going out by regulating the body's internal systems, so that in the long-term our weight remains fairly constant.
But it gets worse for the body... When primitive man was out hunting and gathering his diet comprised mainly protein and fat from wild animals, supplemented with wild fruits and berries Nowadays much of our diet comprises energy-dense foods such as carbohydrates. Although we consume adequate amount of fats they tend to be predominantly saturated (while they are important they should not predominate the fat intake). Add to this the fact that we have so many 'new' foods (should that be chemicals) available to tempt our senses and become stored in our memory.
So, yes the but only in the sense that it has failed to adjust to our modern lifestyle. In other words, it still retains the programming that was appropriate eons ago. Aside from gene manipulation and consistent cell abuse it is not possible to modify our genetic makeup except through slow evolutionary change. We are to blame in the sense that we have failed to adjust our lifestyle to the extent possible, to bring it as close as practical to suit the brain's programming.
So where to now? We need to ask and answer how we can foster a robust gut/brain interaction so that we can maintain a healthy weight throughout lifetime.
1) One thing I know from my own experience is that it is not easy to pick up the hungry "off" signals. So that's one aspect on which we should be focusing. It seems that just about any form of distraction serves to mask the signal.
2) I think also we need to give the messenger time to get its act together and message time to get from the gut to the brain and be interpreted - so don't expect an instantaneous signal, and continue to stuff yourself while you wait.
3) We know that externally imposed emotions can completely upset the signal, so be particularly on-guard while watching or doing anything that strongly arouses your emotions (of course, I 'm referring directly to eating!).
4) Practice denial. What I mean is try to reprogram your brain by practicing repeated refusal of those energy-dense foods that would normally tempt you. What about the hungry 'on" signal. Well, most of us don't seem to have any problem with wanting to eat so perhaps we should pay more attention to what we are eating. We know that the amount of body fat plays a crucial role in appetite control. So our diet should certainly contain fat - some of which should be saturated but most unsaturated.
5) We know that the diet of primitive man was protein-based supplemented with wild fruit, nuts and berries which provided the main source of carbohydrates. We can learn from that. One note of warning - most protein sources burn to acidic ash in the body so they need to be balanced by an intake of vegetables to maintain a healthy acid/alkaline balance.
6) Primitive man was active; he had to be to survive. We are not, but we should be.
So you see there are some actions we can take to aid the brain and the gut work together to help the body maintain a stable long-term energy balance - this results in what I call the body's natural weight. Remember, it is appropriate for the body to carry at least a small amount of excess fat because it genetically programmed to do that - that means there's no need to strive to become 'model skinny'.
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