I just read a controlled human trial in Nature Metabolism that proves a junk food binge does something far worse than add a few inches to your waistline.
It leaves a "metabolic scar" on your brain.
Researchers took 29 healthy, young men and split them into two groups. One group consumed a "high-calorie" diet loaded with chips, brownies, and junk food for just five days.
Most people focus on the scale, but in this study, the high-calorie group saw no significant increase in body weight.
However, inside their bodies, the story was different. Liver fat spiked by a striking 64% (from 1.55% to 2.54%) and brain blood flow decreased significantly to the hippocampus and fusiform gyrus.
These brain regions are essential for memory, learning, and self-control. They are the parts of your brain that "put the brakes" on impulsive eating. When blood flow drops, those regions go quiet.
Simultaneously, the brain developed specific insulin resistance. It lost the signal to "stop eating."
The binge rewired the brain to crave more while physically weakening the willpower to resist. It’s a vicious biological cycle.
Nick Norwitz
A Junk Food Binge Can Scar the Brain.
Link: staycuriousmetabolism.substack.com/p/this-study-ch…
I just read a controlled human trial in Nature Metabolism that proves a junk food binge does something far worse than add a few inches to your waistline.
It leaves a "metabolic scar" on your brain.
Researchers took 29 healthy, young men and split them into two groups. One group consumed a "high-calorie" diet loaded with chips, brownies, and junk food for just five days.
Most people focus on the scale, but in this study, the high-calorie group saw no significant increase in body weight.
However, inside their bodies, the story was different. Liver fat spiked by a striking 64% (from 1.55% to 2.54%) and brain blood flow decreased significantly to the hippocampus and fusiform gyrus.
These brain regions are essential for memory, learning, and self-control. They are the parts of your brain that "put the brakes" on impulsive eating. When blood flow drops, those regions go quiet.
Simultaneously, the brain developed specific insulin resistance. It lost the signal to "stop eating."
The binge rewired the brain to crave more while physically weakening the willpower to resist. It’s a vicious biological cycle.
Click the link above for the full deep dive.
#MetabolicHealth #Neuroscience #NutritionScience #PublicHealth #InsulinResistance #NewResearch #BrainHealth
1 week ago | [YT] | 389