# RKS: DISSECTING DIET FAILURE - Why Eating Becomes An Uncontrollable Urge?

 

# RKS: DISSECTING DIET FAILURE 

- WHY EATING BECOMES AN UNCONTROLLABLE URGE?




1st May 2023

THE 3 GOVERNING CENTRES OF EATING

THE INTERPLAY


Dear Reader,

Eating can seem simple but at its most basic, human food intake is still rather complex. While food clearly is essential to survival, it is the pleasure involved that makes eating worthwhile. In understanding the multi-faceted nature of this pleasurable eating it needs to be understood that it encompasses three phases. 

It makes an interesting reading to understand how these phases are integrated and activated individually. 



EATING CENTRES

For each of these events there are 3 corresponding centres in the brain – all situated in the hypothalamus region. 




Thus, the 3 centres regulating the act of eating or drinking food are:

  1. Appetite Centre
  2. Hunger Centre
  3. Satiety Centre


APPETITE CENTRE

All the signals from the 5 senses of the body first go to the front part of brain called prefrontal cortex.

  1. Eyes – the sight of food like seeing a street vendor make a delicious dish.
  2. Ears – the sound of food like ‘whistling’ of sizzler being prepared.
  3. Smell – the aroma of foods emanating from the kitchen close by.
  4. Taste – the ice cream tasting done prior to choosing and buying a particular flavor.
  5. Touch – the feel of ripened or otherwise fruits.

The prefrontal portion of brain can make its independent decisions and overlook these tempting stimuli and block their further transference. Or else, the prefrontal cortex in turn, directs these messages to other important centres in brain for their processing. 

  1. Hippocampus region – this is a memory centre and depending on past memories regarding a particular food consumption decisions (‘Yes’ or ‘No’) are conveyed.
  2. Amygdala – this drives the emotional aspect of eating – if a food is offered by someone loved the eating is enforced even when one is not hungry.
If the hippocampus and amygdala green signal the eating of food the appetite centre in hypothalamus is accordingly stimulated.



HUNGER CENTRE

There are 3 types of hunger: (Holwegner A. The 3 Types Of Hunger. https://www.healthstandnutrition.com/hungertracker/. Accessed on 1st March 2023)

  1. Stomach hunger – when one feels hungry since the stomach is empty for not having eaten food for quite a while and blood sugar could has become low. In response, there is a hormone ghrelin which is released from stomach and intestines that stimulates the hunger centre to initiate consuming of food. The physical sensation of hunger - hunger pangs - is indeed mediated by ghrelin.
  2. Mouth hunger – the 5 stimuli of sense after processing by the hippocampus (in brain) reach the hunger centre to facilitate eating.
  3. Heart hunger – this is hunger centre triggered by the emotional response generated by the amygdala (in brain) which are communicated to the hypothalamus.
Hence, eating food is either because of a real need or the idea of food consuming is merely appealing irrespective of the necessity for consuming the same.


SATIETY CENTRE

There are 2 ways satiety is achieved: 

  1. Leptin hormone – when the glucose concentrations rise (following eating) there is secretion of insulin from pancreas, and both glucose and insulin presence in blood stimulates the release of leptin hormone from the white adipose tissue. Leptin signals fullness by stimulating the satiety centre in hypothalamus.
  2. Dopamine – a communicating chemical in brain (neurotransmitter) which is responsible for the feeling of pleasure. In addition to the satiety centre, leptin also induces liberation of dopamine and the consequent feeling of satisfaction blunts the emotional factor which triggered the eating of food. 

Thus, the stopping of food intake is either because of experiencing satiety or having attained pleasure following an impulsive urge to eat some particular food item.



CURTAILING FOOD CONSUMPTION WILFULLY

All the 3 centres that matter are present in close proximity in one area of the brain, i.e. the hypothalamus. So if one has to lessen his / her calorie intake the key lies in precipitating satiety whose controlling nerve cells can easily message and influence the other neighbouring two centres. 

One of the healthy ways to precipitate satiety is to consume soluble fibre whenever one feels hungry, especially in between meals, or when he / she feels like eating more food than a planned balanced and healthy diet. Soluble fibre will swell inside the stomach when consumed with water and instils satiety and one definitely will not desire to eat any more further. 

The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics recommends consuming about  25-35 gms total fibre per day. Thus, this advocated mode of ensuring adhering to set diets is like killing two birds with one stone – preventing weight-gain and also warding off fibre-deficiency diseases which include constipation, piles, diverticulitis, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), heart disease, diabetes and intestinal cancer.



CONCLUSION

In a nutshell, the mantra should be:

  • Eat a balanced diet containing 40-50% proteins, 10-30% carbs and 30-40% fats if intending to lose weight.
  • Limit sugars to less than 5% of total energy intake.
  • Restrict salt intake to less than 5 gms per day.
  • Add soluble fibre as supplement – quantify requirement by calculating the RDA as 35 gms (for males) / 25 gms (for females) minus than the amounts consumed in diet (ask a dietician to estimate by sharing one’s 24-hour average meal intake details).
  • Indulge in physical activity for 150-300 minutes of moderate intensity, or 75-150 minutes severe-intensity aerobic exercise each week as is specified by World Health Organization (WHO).

The average man in peak physical condition should have around 10% body fat or less, with a waist circumference under 35 inches. As per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) the ideal woman having a height of 5 feet 3.7 inches, to be considered healthy, should weigh an average of 77.4 kgs (170.6 lbs) with her waist measuring 38.2 inches. 


Cheers to good health by weight management.



DR R K SANGHAVI

Prophesied Enabler

Experience & Expertise: Clinician & Healthcare Industry Adviser


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

POWERED BY -

# fuzionnutra.com

Location: Mumbai, Maharashtra, India

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

# RKS: INTERMITTENT FASTING CULT FOR WEIGHT LOSS - A Passerby Or Here-To-Stay

Image
    # RKS: INTERMITTENT FASTING CULT FOR WEIGHT LOSS A PASSERBY OR HERE-TO-STAY RKS / 2024-2025 / Ser 6 / Blog 2 1st November 2024 INTERMITTENT FASTING ALL SET TO RULE THE SCIENCE BEHIND Dear Reader, Fasting is the act of refraining from eating, and sometimes drinking. Fasting practices may have first emerged around 1,500 BC in the Vedic, Hindu and Jainism religions.  Prophet Adam was the first person to ever fast in human history. It is believed that the first fasting (done by Prophet Adam) was after his descent to earth and God’s acceptance of his prayers and repentance. It is also believed that he fasted 3 days each month during the entire year; they are the 13th, 14th and 15th. Fasting was commonly practiced in earlier times on 'holy' days to reduce the harm to plants and  animals caused by harvesting and eating.  Fasting has also been used for therapeutic  purposes since at least the 5th century BCE. Greek physician Hippocrates recommended  that p...
Read more

# RKS: EXERCISE CAN SPELL HEALTHY MORTAL LIVING OR MORTALITY - Be Warned Of The Fitness Fanaticism

Image
  # RKS: EXERCISE CAN SPELL HEALTHY MORTAL LIVING OR MORTALITY BE WARNED OF THE FITNESS FANATICISM  1st April 2024 DISSECTING THE ART OF PHYSICAL FITNESS - A FINE-TUNED CRAFT THE PITFALLS ANALYZED BEHIND RECENT CALAMITIES  Dear Reader, Over the past decades, we have witnessed an increasing proportion of society engaging in ultra-endurance events, which are well in excess of the health-promoting exercise recommendations.  Table: Names of some popular celebrities who passed away whilst gymming. In recent times, there has been a hue and cry regarding the reported drastic rise in gym-related deaths each year, with the majority being attributed to sudden cardiac arrest (SCA). In fact, 80-85% of all sudden deaths are heart-related - sudden cardiac deaths (SCD). In today's context, SCD is become the most common cardiac concern amongst all heart ailments. Graph: Incidences of SCD vs other cardiac maladies. It would be intriguing to analyze the bare underlying reasons for s...
Read more

# RKS: SANTIZING & SANITIZERS - More Than Meets The Eye

Image
 # RKS: SANTIZING & SANITIZERS  - More Than Meets The Eye 1st October 2020 Dear Reader, I always remember how I was pulled up in yesteryears for washing my hands - a wee bit too frequently - by family, friends, and even Dr colleagues. After touching each patient, even for checking mere BP or pulse (including a socially visiting relative or friend), always washed hands; before touching any eatable and always after finishing food washed hands with water.  In AI flights there is yet wet wipes given but the practice has stopped in other airlines but I continued washing my hands even as seated in a plane - guess how?!!  Sanitizing is the rule today and sanitizers are ruling today. Umpteen manufacturers have entered the fray and because of COVID-19 fear I feel better hygienic environment prevailing when in close apposition to someone's else flesh-brushing - rare handshake and the like. But why do we buy, use, advocate and amply store sanitizers? What is their actual ro...
Read more