Research suggests that overweight people may have greater difficulty choosing healthy foods. The researchers found that people with a high body mass index required greater changes in brain activity when choosing healthy foods compared to foods they liked.
In this study, researchers at Queen’s University in Kingston, Canada, sought to identify neurological differences that affect healthy food choices through changes in brain activity patterns. Researchers analyzed data from three MRI studies of 123 participants assessing their food preferences in various situations. For example, participants evaluated how the food tasted and whether it was healthy or not. We then compared the brain activity patterns that appeared when the subjects chose their usual food preferences and when they were told to make health-focused choices.
The results showed that people who were good at controlling their food choices required relatively few brain state changes to make the desired choices. And this association was very evident in participants with low body mass index. On the other hand, participants with a higher body mass index were unable to rely on these mechanisms and needed greater changes in brain activity to make healthy food choices.
The researchers said, “More than 18% of the world’s adult population is expected to be obese by 2025, which shows that there are great difficulties in practicing a healthy diet,” adding, “The results of this study show that some people have difficulty controlling their diet.” “It may help explain why some people experience it while others do not.” However, it is not possible to determine whether having difficulty choosing healthy foods leads to weight gain, or whether weight gain leads to brain changes that make it difficult to choose healthy foods.
Several neuroimaging studies to date have also identified individual brain regions involved in diet control. For example, in a study published in ‘Science Advances’ in 2020, researchers at Johns Hopkins University found that a specific brain region called the ventral pallidum is associated with preferences for various foods. By targeting neurons in the corresponding area of the mice’s brains, the researchers were able to shift their preference from a desired reward (e.g. cake) to a less desired food.
Additionally, the ability to exercise self-control over food has been found to be related to neurobiology. A 2018 study published in the Journal of Neuroscience found that participants with greater gray matter volume in specific brain regions showed greater restraint when asked to focus on health when making food choices. It was found that
The results of this study were published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) under the title ‘Body mass index–dependent shifts along large-scale gradients in human cortical organization explains dietary regulatory success.’
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