July 13, 2011--Endocannabinoids
It's was hot yesterday even on the coast of Maine and so I had a light lunch of yogurt, cashews, and pecans.
As usual, though I took just a handful of the nuts to keep me from finishing the entire can, I couldn't stop from eating at least twice as many as I intended. The only thing that worked was to push the nuts way out of arms reach and have a good talk with myself about my lack of self control. Which didn't entirely work since when Rona got up to answer the phone I snuck another handful and gobbled them down before she returned.
The day before I had tuna salad with tortilla chips. Rather than make a sandwich using bread or a roll I thought a half-dozen chips would be better since they have fewer calories than two slices of whole wheat and thus scooping the tuna with the chips would be healthier and dietetic. But, as with the nuts, I couldn't restrain myself and ate my entire stash. At least 30 chips.
I use the word stash intentionally--a word I used frequently in the past to describe my . . . well, you know what.
Stash seems appropriate since in Tuesday's New York Times Science Section there was a fascinating article (linked below) that cites the latest research findings as to why all of us have a hard, often an impossible time not finishing the entire bag of potato chips, the full can of Planters mixed nuts, or dozens of Doritos.
This happens, it seems, because these foods, high in fats, release endocannabinoids, which stimulate the brain in ways very similar to cannabis and leads to the same kind of uncontrollable cravings--or munchies--that marijuana induces.
Leave it to the Italians to figure this out. Scientists there gave rats liquids high in sugar, fat, or protein; and wouldn't you know it, from the moment the fatty liquid hit their taste buds--as compared with the sugar or protein water--the rodents' digestive systems began to produce endocannabinoids and as a result they went crazy, begging for more.
Just like I used to do when under the influence I desperately needed to get my hands on Chinese food. Not the steamed vegetables, but the greasy fried rice and fatty spareribs But that was another time and another story.
According to Dr. Danielle Piomelli, "We have this evolutionary drive to recognize fat, and when we have access to it, to consume as much as we possibly can."
For those of us who are trying to control our waistlines, there is more bad news from the world of science. For example, when obese individuals were shown pictures of high-calorie foods, their brains showed more activity in regions associated with seeking pleasurable rewards than was true for slimmer people. To make matters worse, scientists have found that these brain reward centers are also hyper-stimulated when the over-weight were directed merely to say "chocolate brownies." How unfair does it get?
And, speaking of chocolate brownies, there was this time when I . . .
As usual, though I took just a handful of the nuts to keep me from finishing the entire can, I couldn't stop from eating at least twice as many as I intended. The only thing that worked was to push the nuts way out of arms reach and have a good talk with myself about my lack of self control. Which didn't entirely work since when Rona got up to answer the phone I snuck another handful and gobbled them down before she returned.
The day before I had tuna salad with tortilla chips. Rather than make a sandwich using bread or a roll I thought a half-dozen chips would be better since they have fewer calories than two slices of whole wheat and thus scooping the tuna with the chips would be healthier and dietetic. But, as with the nuts, I couldn't restrain myself and ate my entire stash. At least 30 chips.
I use the word stash intentionally--a word I used frequently in the past to describe my . . . well, you know what.
Stash seems appropriate since in Tuesday's New York Times Science Section there was a fascinating article (linked below) that cites the latest research findings as to why all of us have a hard, often an impossible time not finishing the entire bag of potato chips, the full can of Planters mixed nuts, or dozens of Doritos.
This happens, it seems, because these foods, high in fats, release endocannabinoids, which stimulate the brain in ways very similar to cannabis and leads to the same kind of uncontrollable cravings--or munchies--that marijuana induces.
Leave it to the Italians to figure this out. Scientists there gave rats liquids high in sugar, fat, or protein; and wouldn't you know it, from the moment the fatty liquid hit their taste buds--as compared with the sugar or protein water--the rodents' digestive systems began to produce endocannabinoids and as a result they went crazy, begging for more.
Just like I used to do when under the influence I desperately needed to get my hands on Chinese food. Not the steamed vegetables, but the greasy fried rice and fatty spareribs But that was another time and another story.
According to Dr. Danielle Piomelli, "We have this evolutionary drive to recognize fat, and when we have access to it, to consume as much as we possibly can."
For those of us who are trying to control our waistlines, there is more bad news from the world of science. For example, when obese individuals were shown pictures of high-calorie foods, their brains showed more activity in regions associated with seeking pleasurable rewards than was true for slimmer people. To make matters worse, scientists have found that these brain reward centers are also hyper-stimulated when the over-weight were directed merely to say "chocolate brownies." How unfair does it get?
And, speaking of chocolate brownies, there was this time when I . . .
posted by Steven Zwerling at
4:25 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home