Faulty Food Reward System in the Brain May Increase Risk of Obesity

Not really. First the technobabble.

"Overeating may be hardwired in the brain, at least in females, researchers here found.

When given a chocolate milkshake, obese young women and adolescent girls had a weakened response in the dorsal striatum -- the area of the brain responsible for dopamine-related food reward -- compared with leaner females, Eric Stice, Ph.D., of the Oregon Research Institute here, and colleagues reported in the Oct. 17 issue of Science."

Ooh, dorsum striatum. Now doesn't that sound impressive?

"It has been known that dopamine receptors in the dorsal striatum are reduced in obese patients, they said, suggesting a diminished food reward system.

To test whether activation in that part of the brain in response to a food stimulus was related to weight gain, they conducted two separate studies, one in 33 adolescent girls (mean age 15.7) ranging in weight from lean to obese (mean body mass index 24.3 kg/m2) and the other in 43 overweight and obese young women (mean age 20.8; mean BMI 28.6 kg/m2).

Participants in both studies were scanned using functional magnetic resonance imaging as they drank a chocolate milkshake and a tasteless, saliva-like solution. Programmable syringe pumps delivered the liquids to ensure consistent volume, rate, and timing.

Although the technology measures blood flow and not dopamine signaling, 'it has been argued that [a] signal in regions that register as a dopamine source or target probably reflects dopaminergic activity,' the researchers said."

Which likely means that it has been argued that it does not "reflect dopaminergic activity."

Otherwise, why argue?

But here is the real bottom line, despite the media hype about this study (e.g., here, here and here):

"However, they acknowledged that they were unable to determine whether the blunted brain response in obese patients played a role in the development of obesity or whether it was a secondary response to years of overeating.

In addition, they cautioned that the results may not be generalizable to males."

For your own sake, if you really want to lose weight, eschew the crap reported by the media, the trash research, the hype of those eager to offer you drugs and surgery and the frenzy created by those who advertise, sell or promote impossible to succeed weight loss programs, e.g., the MSM.

None of it will ever work better than controlling your caloric intake naturally.

If you agree, see here, here, here and here.