The secret of the dessert stomach: Why we want sweets after eating!

The secret of the dessert stomach: Why we want sweets after eating!

Köln, Deutschland - After a lavish feast, many people feel the insatiable desire for desserts. An international team from the Max Planck Institute for Metabolic Research in Cologne has now found that the so-called "dessert stomach" is anchored deep in our brain. As reports krone.at , the research shows that the same nerve cells that give us satiety also our desire for sweet control. In experiments with mice, the team, led by Henning Fenselau, found that the animals consume sugar even when they are all -round. This discovery opens up new perspectives in nutritional research.

food and reward: a biological mechanism

The fascinating result of the study shows that the Pomc neurons, which normally signal saturation, also release the body's own opiat ß-endorphine when the mice eat sugar. This opiat creates an intensive feeling of reward that urges the animals to snack more - even if they are actually full. Interestingly, this mechanism is also activated if the mice only perceive sugar without actually consuming it, as mpg.de Brain scans show that the human body has a similar answer to sugar, which makes evolutionary sense, since sugar is rare as quickly available energy source in nature.

The results of this research could not only deepen our understanding of eating behavior, but also have significant implications for treatments against overweight. Current drugs that aim to block the opia receptors in the brain have so far only shown limited successes in weight loss. Fenselau emphasizes the possibility of combining these approaches with other therapies to develop more effective solutions.