from the some-eat-to-live-and-some-live-to-eat dept.
Eating for hunger or pleasure involves regulating different brain circuits:
Many times we eat, not because we are hungry, but because of social pressures or because the food is so appetizing, that, even though we are full, we just want another bite.
[...] [Dr. Yong] Xu and his colleagues [...] “discovered that the circuit that projects to the hypothalamus primarily regulates hunger-driven feeding, but does not influence the non-hunger driven feeding behavior,” Xu said. “The other circuit that projects into the midbrain regulates primarily the non-hunger driven feeding, but not the feeding behavior triggered by hunger. This indicates that, at the circuit level, the brain wires the two types of feeding behavior differently.”
[...] “One potential [molecular] target is serotonin receptors, which are molecules that mediate the functions of the neurotransmitter serotonin produced by the neurons,” Xu explained. “We found that two receptors, serotonin 2C receptor and serotonin 1B receptor, are involved in both types of feeding behavior. Our data suggests that combining compounds directed at both receptors might produce a synergistic benefit by suppressing feeding.”
In addition, the team identified ion channels associated with the circuits that also might offer an opportunity to regulate the feeding behaviors. “One is the GABA A receptor, a chloride channel, found to be important in regulating serotonin circuits during hunger-driven feeding, but not during non-hunger driven feeding,” Xu said.
The other is a potassium channel that influences feeding triggered by hunger-independent cues, but not hunger-driven feeding. “There is a clear segregation of these two ion channels,” Xu said. “They have distinct functions in feeding behavior, which suggests they also could be target candidates to regulate overeating.”
Journal Reference:
Yanlin He, Xing Cai, Hailan Liu, et al. 5-HT recruits distinct neurocircuits to inhibit hunger-driven and non-hunger-driven feeding [open], Molecular Psychiatry (DOI: 10.1038/s41380-021-01220-z)
(Score: 1, Flamebait) by Frosty Piss on Wednesday July 28 2021, @03:41AM (16 children)
Rich people problems.
(Score: 5, Informative) by Rosco P. Coltrane on Wednesday July 28 2021, @03:44AM (4 children)
Actually it's the exact opposite [institutefornaturalhealing.com]: in this day and age, if you don't have the means to eat healthy food, you get fat.
(Score: 4, Informative) by DannyB on Wednesday July 28 2021, @03:13PM (1 child)
I must absolutely agree with that!
About a year before the covid, I started eating better food. Salads. Fruits. And stuff that costs somewhat more than fast junk food. Replaced fries and chips (mostly) with nuts. We changed our home cooked meals to healthier (eg more expensive) things.
Without even being conscientious about it, or intending to do so, I began gradually losing weight. The first notice of it was after a long time, doctor visits showing a gradual but continuing weight loss.
My wife noticed the same. We are convinced. It did not escape our notice that poor people cannot do this.
I never realized how good salad could be with lots of ingredients, even some fattening ones, compared to, say, a burger.
Also, if you want a burger: MAKE IT AT HOME out of real actual beef you bought at the grocery store. It only takes a few minutes.
The people who rely on government handouts and refuse to work should be kicked out of congress.
(Score: 3, Informative) by Runaway1956 on Wednesday July 28 2021, @06:29PM
Be aware: Just because it says "ground beef" on the label doesn't mean it's healthy beef. Walking into our grocer's, and going to the meat counter, the plain unadorned packages of ground beef prepared in store is good beef, with slightly varying fat content. Sometimes, you'll get one with a little more fat than advertised - but I can cope with that, since the fat melts and can be separated.
The packages in the stand up chillers or freezers distributed by major corporations vary wildly. Read the ingredients for fat content, as well as added junk. Food coloring, preservatives, salt, natural and artificial flavorings, soy and other fillers - none of it is "good" for you.
The same mostly applies to hot dogs, sausage (of whatever variety), luncheon meats, etc. OK, bratwurst is bratwurst, and it's not the healthiest choice for meals maybe - but at least make sure your bratwurst has real meat in it, and traditional food ingredients. If you need a chemistry course to read the ingredients, it ain't really bratwurst.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday July 28 2021, @04:22PM (1 child)
It's easy to eat healthy and cheap. Time-consuming, but easy. Which is why so many just go for cheap, unhealthy, and quick.
As the saying goes, pick two.
Rice, beans, fresh veg, chicken or turkey for protein (seriously, chicken legs are still like a buck a pound), some spices. You can go a long way with that. And with a modicum of planning, the time part isn't even an issue if you get a slow-cooker or pressure-cooker. With ubiquitous smartphones and YouTube channels for everything, all it takes is a little investment of time.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by DeathMonkey on Wednesday July 28 2021, @05:48PM
Spending a bunch of time on food prep after a twelve hour shift is definitely not easy.
(Score: 2, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday July 28 2021, @03:52AM (7 children)
Even poor folks are obese in the land of cheap carbs.
(Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday July 28 2021, @03:59AM (6 children)
That's cuz their lazy too.
(Score: 5, Informative) by mhajicek on Wednesday July 28 2021, @07:51AM (1 child)
Or can't afford the free time to exercise because they're chained to a desk or register two shifts a day.
The spacelike surfaces of time foliations can have a cusp at the surface of discontinuity. - P. Hajicek
(Score: 5, Informative) by Bethany.Saint on Wednesday July 28 2021, @02:08PM
About five years ago there were a flurry of articles that explained why you couldn't exercise your way of of being fat. Exercise helps with many things but unless it's combined with appropriate dietary changes it's not an effective way to lose weight.
(Score: 4, Touché) by SpockLogic on Wednesday July 28 2021, @01:10PM
Too lazy or too dumb to use "they're" ?
Overreacting is one thing, sticking your head up your ass hoping the problem goes away is another - edIII
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Wednesday July 28 2021, @03:27PM
Yore parents were two lazy too use condoms.
The people who rely on government handouts and refuse to work should be kicked out of congress.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by Tork on Wednesday July 28 2021, @04:57PM (1 child)
The reason you were told that is so you can have an extreme opinion without feeling bad about things like... you know... condemning people to starvation. You should look up what happened when they tried drug testing welfare recipients.
🏳️🌈 Proud Ally 🏳️🌈
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday July 29 2021, @03:43AM
Yeah well they were probably using baby urine, I've seen a documentary about them doing that.
(Score: 2) by Beryllium Sphere (r) on Wednesday July 28 2021, @04:29AM (1 child)
Ever been to West Virginia? Poverty and obesity can go together.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by DannyB on Wednesday July 28 2021, @03:17PM
Poverty and obesity DO go together.
Cheap low quality carbs.
Healthy food is expensive.
The people who rely on government handouts and refuse to work should be kicked out of congress.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by fakefuck39 on Wednesday July 28 2021, @01:14PM
lol wut... You think the classic caricature of the fat American redneck on a mobility scooter - a stereotype based on truth, is depicting a rich person? Because most rick people seem to not be overweight.
A long time ago, I used to get my meat at walmart. There were huge globs of fat in it. Now I get steak at whole foods for $30/lb. It's extremely lean. Take a look at the bottom shelf of generic cheap crap - it's loaded with fat, lots of it hydrogenated. The expensive shit uses either good quality expensive oils, or high quality butter.
Things like McDonalds are dirt cheap and extremely unhealthy. That hipster deli with the organic white fat-free turkey only has healthy fats from the avocado on the toast. Cheap deli meat is dark turkey, with 8g of fat per serving. Have you looked into the amount of fat in a hot dog?
Being overweight is a poor person's problem. Overeating to fight depression is a poor person's problem, mostly because depression is mostly a poor person's problem. And when rich people get skinny from undereating, they're using meth. When a rich person uses powders to lose weight, it's a quality protein powder, or a quality nose powder.
>that combining compounds directed at both receptors might produce a synergistic benefit by suppressing feeding
yeah, no shit - they needed a study on that? do they see a lot of people stuffing their face on molly? yeah, unless it's weed, drugs that release neurotransmitters make you eat less. have they never been to a night club? actually, they probably have not...
(Score: 5, Insightful) by Rosco P. Coltrane on Wednesday July 28 2021, @03:41AM (3 children)
We feel hunger where there is none thanks to the research work the food industry has put into making food as addictive as possible.
Adding refined sugar - and especially the combination of sugar and fat, which doesn't exist in natural foodstuff - in ultra-processed food is for exactly that purpose: it creates a drug-like hit in the brain comparable to cocaine [modernhealthmonk.com] and creates a strong dependency that's hard to break. The sugar and the fat don't need to be there other than for the purpose of making people eat (and of course buy) more of the stuff their body doesn't need.
And of course, as always, the profits are private but the consequences - obesity, cardio-vascular disease and their burden on public health systems - are externalized.
The food industry needs to be dished out the same treatment the tobacco industry got. They should stand trial and be punished hard. It decades overdue. Unfortunately, it'll never happen because there's way too much money, lobbying and corruption going on.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday July 28 2021, @04:01AM
Plus we have all these
expensivecool medical interventions for the consumers to uh, consume.(Score: 1, Offtopic) by HiThere on Wednesday July 28 2021, @01:29PM (1 child)
It's not that simple. I avoid sugar and starch to control my blood sugar, and I still eat when I'm not hungry. Telling myself that it's unwise doesn't help, as the motives are well below anything I can reach consciously. What I can do is snack on edamame or unsalted nuts or some such. But if I don't ensure there's something better around, I'll eat things I shouldn't.
Javascript is what you use to allow unknown third parties to run software you have no idea about on your computer.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday July 29 2021, @03:47AM
Fascinating. And what's your favorite color?
(Score: 5, Informative) by Azuma Hazuki on Wednesday July 28 2021, @04:32AM (11 children)
No, hear me out here: assuming you have the $80 or so to spend on one, having this gadget lets you buy bulk staples -- think "huge honking bag of black beans" here -- and prepare them with virtually zero time investment. Dump X amount of beans into the IP with about 2X amount of water, seal and flip it on, and in an hour (accounting for time to pressurize and maybe a few minutes' natural venting) you have cooked, nutritious beans. If you spend a bit more, you can dump parboiled rice and *canned* beans (or use some of the prepared ones!) in there with some seasonings and you have a complete, filling, healthy vegan protein.
This is of course a large investment. $80 is not cheap and neither is your first purchase of bulk staples and the proper spices/herbs so you don't get sick of rice'n'beans 3-4 times a week. It pays off later but if you're really poor you won't be able to get off the ground with this in the first place, and I don't know a solution to this. All I know is that if you have the wherewithal to get the IP and a few bulk bags, you can see significant drop in money *and* time invested into food as well as health benefits.
That thing is a miracle for breakfasts too. It does oats of any description, barley both hulled and pearled, corn meal and corn kernels, buckwheat groats, you name it. Hardly any more effort than cereal and much healthier.
I am "that girl" your mother warned you about...
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday July 28 2021, @06:01AM (3 children)
Or you can use a normal pressure cooker ($10 at your local Goodwill) like people did before it became cool to spend lots of money on highly advertised (and thus cost inflated) kitchen gadgets.
If you're only going to eat one or two main items then beef and/or eggs is all you need and are the healthiest foods you can get*. That diet costs around $4-$7 per day per person (1.2 lbs of meat or 18 eggs). You can go cheaper if you buy bulk meat direct from a farm. Your long term health costs will also significantly drop.
* https://meatrx.com/category/research-articles/ [meatrx.com]
(Score: 2) by shortscreen on Wednesday July 28 2021, @01:57PM (1 child)
$4-$7 per day? Better do like Roseanne taught us and combine that beef and eggs with some $1/lb carrots and wheat bran and make meatloaf.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday July 29 2021, @03:51AM
True story, in France carrots actually taste good. Same with tomatoes, nuts and cheese. That was basically my lunch. When I came to the USA and tried to do it, I just couldn't manage it. Everything tastes like cardboard - so now I make a cooked lunch with oil and salt and spices. And gained 30lb.
(Score: 2) by Azuma Hazuki on Wednesday July 28 2021, @03:30PM
Normal pressure cookers require a stove and, at least in my calculus, are too risky and dangerous. The point of the IP is that it's a known quantity and self-contained apparatus that requires minimal time/attention investment and gives massive RoI for the amount of effort it takes to use. It's also a natural fit for Indian cooking like dals and khichdi, which I make a fair amount of.
I am "that girl" your mother warned you about...
(Score: 2) by HammeredGlass on Wednesday July 28 2021, @02:29PM (2 children)
Instant Pots are only worthwhile in countries with 240v standard AC lines in the home which provide for much higher wattage heating. In homes with 120v standard AC lines and resultant max wattage of ~1500, the time for heating under such low wattage is inefficient and consumes more time than should be used for such activities.
A regular pot of boiling water is the better, more efficient use of time and energy in 120v homes.
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Wednesday July 28 2021, @03:24PM (1 child)
As I mention below, we have an instant pot running on US 110 VAC. Seems to work just fine. Or alternately we don't know what we're missing by not having 240v.
No big heavy transformer needed to provide 6.3 VAC for filaments.
The people who rely on government handouts and refuse to work should be kicked out of congress.
(Score: 2) by HammeredGlass on Wednesday July 28 2021, @06:44PM
http://wordpress.mrreid.org/2012/04/16/why-kettles-boil-slowly-in-the-us/ [mrreid.org]
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Wednesday July 28 2021, @03:22PM (3 children)
Yes. I wish I still had mod points.
We got an instant pot several years ago. More recently also an air fryer to fry things without grease.
Short story:
1. faster easier food preparation
2. easier cleanup (which I am mainly in charge of)
3. better food
The instant pot (and I kid you not) works with Alexa.
The people who rely on government handouts and refuse to work should be kicked out of congress.
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Wednesday July 28 2021, @06:56PM (2 children)
Freezer space is valuable when planning healthy eating.
I shopped for a 10 quart slow cooker, primarily so that whole hams would fit into. With that 10 quart cooker, I can make far more stew, soup, beans, or whatever than will be eaten at one meal. So, grab a couple sealable bowls, fill them up, and freeze them. Individual servings if you like, or family sized servings, it doesn't matter much.
In my experience, most of those cheap plastic bowls with decent sealing lids are good for a couple months in the freezer. Much longer, and you're looking at freezer burn.
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Wednesday July 28 2021, @09:16PM
We use a vacuum sealer. Sealed bowls. A freezer in the garage.
In recent years, with the kid moved out, we don't need to make so much at one meal and can typically just have one to three servings of left overs which can be eaten in a day or so. Or I can take some to work and microwave for lunch.
The people who rely on government handouts and refuse to work should be kicked out of congress.
(Score: 3, Informative) by Reziac on Thursday July 29 2021, @04:51AM
Stuff keeps a lot longer than a couple months in a non-frost-free freezer. Frost-free does a regular thaw cycle and that does in the food as well as the frost.
And there is no Alkibiades to come back and save us from ourselves.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday July 28 2021, @06:07AM (1 child)
I bet within a month we'll see articles/ads saying people should take SSRIs to become thin.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday July 28 2021, @10:31AM
Funny, SSRIs are well-known to result in weight gain.