With our current epidemic of obesity and metabolic disorders, the question being asked is: Why do we crave fatty foods and sugars? New research might have the answer. Scientists at Columbia University’s Zuckerman Institute “uncovered an entirely new connection between the gut and the brain that drives our desire for fat.” The study found that in mice, “fat entering the intestines triggers a signal” which then “drives a desire for fatty foods.” Dr. Charles Zuker, professor of biochemistry and molecular biophysics and of neuroscience, explains that “the tongue tells our brain what we like, such as things that taste sweet, salty or fatty… The gut, however, tells our brain what we want, what we need.” Knowing this connection between the gut and the brain, the scientists explore how to interfere with this signal. By using a drug, they were able to shut down the signaling which could “provide novel strategies for changing the brain’s response to fat and possibly behavior toward food.”
Why the Body Craves Fatty Food
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