Cravings vs. Hunger | How Cravings Work | Carbs, Fats & the Psychology of Eating

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Cravings vs. Hunger | How Cravings Work | Carbs, Fats & the Psychology of Eating-
Hunger & Hormones:
The body’s system for regulating food intake is coordinated by the hypothalamus, which is located under the midline of the brain, behind the eyes:

Within the hypothalamus are nerve cells that, when activated, produce the sensation of hunger. They do so by producing two proteins that cause hunger: neuropeptide Y (NPY) and agouti-related peptide (AGRP)

Quite close to these nerve cells is another set of nerves that powerfully inhibit hunger. They produce two different proteins that inhibit hunger: cocaine and amphetamine-regulated transcript (CART) and melanocyte-stimulating hormone (αMSH)

These two sets of nerve cells initiate and send hunger signals to other areas of the hypothalamus. So, whether you feel inclined to eat or not depends on the balance of the activity between these two sets of neurons.

But what determines which set of neurons dominates at any given time?

Ghrelin is made in the stomach. It stimulates hunger by entering the brain and acting on the neurons in the hypothalamus to increase the activity of the hunger-causing nerve cells and reducing the activity of hunger-inhibiting cells.

Cholecystokinin (CCK) is produced in the upper small bowel in response to food and gives a feeling of fullness. It is released soon after food reaches the small bowel.

Brain Reward System:
Now science has a basic understanding of the purpose and functioning of the brain's reward system - the circuit most associated with pleasure and reward is the mesolimbic pathway.

The mesolimbic pathway is located in the brainstem. This area of the brain is primarily concerned with basic survival.

Within the mesolimbic pathway is an area called the ventral tegmental area (VTA). The VTA projects to the nucleus accumbens (thought to be the reward center)

Dopamine:
The brain is hardwired to seek out behaviors that release dopamine in the reward system.

When you repeatedly do something that releases dopamine in the reward system, like eating sugary foods, your dopamine receptors can start to down-regulate.

When the brain sees that the amount of dopamine is too high, it begins removing dopamine receptors to keep things balanced.

When you have fewer receptors, you need more dopamine to reach the same effect, which causes people to start eating more junk food to reach the same level of reward as before - this is called tolerance.

If you have fewer dopamine receptors, you will have very little dopamine activity and start to feel unhappy when you don't get your junk food "fix" - this is called withdrawal.


References:
1) Proietto, J. (2015, September 25). Chemical messengers: how hormones make us feel hungry and full. Retrieved from https://theconversation.com/chemical-...

2) Sugar and Fat: Cravings and Aversions | The Journal of Nutrition | Oxford Academic. (2003, March 1). Retrieved from https://academic.oup.com/jn/article/1...

3) Drug Seeking and Cravings: Addictions’ Effect on the Brain’s Reward System. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.mentalhelp.net/articles/d...

4) The Craving Brain. (2014, February 11). Retrieved from https://now.tufts.edu/articles/cravin...

5) Brain stimulation may reduce food cravings as obesity treatment. (2018, August 29). Retrieved from https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases...

6) How Food Addiction Works (And What to Do About It). (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/...

7) The Best Probiotics for Mood: Enhancing the Gut-Brain Connection with Psychobiotics. (2018, June 20). Retrieved from https://universityhealthnews.com/dail...

8) Kannampalli P , et al. (n.d.). Probiotic Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG) and prebiotic prevent neonatal inflammation-induced visceral hypersensitivity in adult rats. - PubMed - NCBI. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2...

9) Tyrosine Hydroxylase and Regulation of Dopamine Synthesis. (1, April). Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti...

10) Carter A , et al. (n.d.). The Neurobiology of "Food Addiction" and Its Implications for Obesity Treatment and Policy. - PubMed - NCBI. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2...

11) Oginsky MF , et al. (n.d.). Eating 'Junk-Food' Produces Rapid and Long-Lasting Increases in NAc CP-AMPA Receptors: Implications for Enhanced Cue-Induced Motivation and Food Ad... - PubMed - NCBI. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2...