Dieting makes brain eat itself??!

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BeautifulScarsWECHANGED
BeautifulScarsWECHANGED Posts: 749 Member
in Food and Nutrition
According to this article it does. That's why we're all doing this the healthy way eh? :heart:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/science-news/8677200/Dieting-forces-brain-to-eat-itself-scientists-claim.html


Like other parts of the body, brain cells begin to eat themselves as a last-ditch source of energy to ward off starvation, a study found.

The body responds by producing fatty acids, which turn up the hunger signal in the brain and increase our impulse to eat.

Researchers from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine at Yeshiva University in New York said the findings could lead to new scientifically proven weight loss treatments.

Tests on mice found that stopping the brain cells from eating themselves – a process known as autophagy – prevented levels of hunger from rising in response to starvation.

The chemical change in their brains caused the mice to become lighter and slimmer after a period of fasting, the researchers reported in the journal Cell Metabolism.

"Treatments aimed at the pathway might make you less hungry and burn more fat, a good way to maintain energy balance in a world where calories are cheap and plentiful."

Replies

  • jatcat310
    jatcat310 Posts: 63
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    All I can say is WTW????? :huh:
  • helenium
    helenium Posts: 546 Member
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    I wouldn't be quick to base anything on one study. Even if the studies were well conducted (and I haven't read the original study) the article relies on shock factor quite a bit (I.e., brain eating itself, sounds destructive, bad and abnormal) and actually this mechanism might be perfectly fine and I seriously doubt it reduces our mental capacity. Anyway Cell Metabolism is a good journal. Jumping to the conclusion we can make effective weight loss treatments... Probably a leap of imagination on the journalist's part.
  • danbabcock
    danbabcock Posts: 10
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    If you are dieting to the point of starvation, you are doing something wrong.

    I don't think there will ever be anything more scientific than eat less that you burn in a day. Sure, everyone wants that super pill, but that probably isn't any healthier than being overweight in the first place.
  • BeautifulScarsWECHANGED
    BeautifulScarsWECHANGED Posts: 749 Member
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    I like to think of us doing a lifestyle change, not dieting. So we're all good. :bigsmile:
  • aj_rock
    aj_rock Posts: 390 Member
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    No offense, but that article is extremely unhelpful.

    They proved that the brain cells of MICE eat themselves. Mice != humans.

    So there's no helpful suggestion about when this may occur, let alone if it can occur.

    The dangers of low carb diets and ketosis are well known. Same for not getting enough dietary fat. Beyond these already widely accepted norms, this article is simply inflammatory, inciteful, and alarmist.
  • BeautifulScarsWECHANGED
    BeautifulScarsWECHANGED Posts: 749 Member
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    No offense, but that article is extremely unhelpful.

    They proved that the brain cells of MICE eat themselves. Mice != humans.

    So there's no helpful suggestion about when this may occur, let alone if it can occur.

    The dangers of low carb diets and ketosis are well known. Same for not getting enough dietary fat. Beyond these already widely accepted norms, this article is simply inflammatory, inciteful, and alarmist.

    No offense taken. Just wanted to post it because I came across it this morning. Wanted to hear everyone thoughts.
  • I_give_it_2_u_str8
    I_give_it_2_u_str8 Posts: 680 Member
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    "Dieters struggle to lose weight because a lack of nutrition forces their brain cells to eat themselves, making the feeling of hunger even stronger, scientists claim."

    its an instinct for self-preservation.

    your brain is hardwired to prevent you from doing stupid things to yourself
  • ayylisha
    ayylisha Posts: 1
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    A dietician once told me that if a person eats less than 1200 calories, they can cause their body to go into starvation mode.

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