Tuesday, January 8, 2013

Obesity's Effects on the Brain

Photo Courtesy of HealthyWomen.org

While it is a well known fact that the heart, liver, kidney, and lung functions of the body can be severely affected by obesity, new information is shining light on the effects that too much fat cause on the brain as well. The brain is our most sacred of organs, giving us the ability to think, ponder, and respond to all outside influences in our lives, so even the smallest affect on the brain is one to be concerned about, and take action against. 

What scientists found, was that eating high-fat diets can cause physical changes in the brain. These changes, have a shocking similarity to the changes that occur in the brain during the development to drugs, alcohol or other substances. These changes, scientists believe, is the actual physical formation of an addiction. These changes develop quickly, before the "addiction" has even fully matured. What this means is that: for a drug addict, the addiction is formed in the brain before the addiction has fully taken hold; and for an over-eater, the addiction to fatty foods is formed early, before the weight itself becomes an issue. This gives us so many clues as to why overweight individuals have such a hard time laying off of fatty foods, successfully diet, or strictly adhere to diet plans.

The article above is one of the many of articles on Healthy Women, a website exploring women's health, pregnancy advice and other topics related to women.

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