When tempted by delicious food, individuals show different levels of self-control. This brings us to question how the human body controls its own appetite?
Previous study has indicated that post-ingestive nutrient signals regulate eating behavior in rodents, and impaired responses to these signals have been associated with obesity. To investigate whether this theory applies to humans, scientists conducted further studies, deriving an interesting result: the brain of obese individuals shows weakened responses to nutrients, which persist even after weight loss efforts. It sheds light on why many individuals struggle to achieve sustained weight loss—impaired neuronal responses to nutrient signals may contribute to overeating and obesity. Even after losing weight, individuals may maintain a large appetite, leading to rapid regaining of weight.
It seems that we can't solely blame individuals' lack of strong willpower for weight loss rebound, neural mechanisms in the brain are responsible for appetite control as well.
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