Narcotic like addiction behind eating of fatty foods

Hi everyone,

The abstract below demonstrates that it only took five days for daily consumption of corn oil by rats to induce what amounts to a narcotic addiction in them. I.E. the corn oil appears to elevate brain narcotics (endodorphins) and/or to directly stimulate a narcotic receptor to the point the rats become addicted to it.

This certainly makes sense evolutionary-wise. Imagine one of our ancestors finding a source of high oil supplying food. Nothing guarantees repeat business like a narcotic addiction. Additionally when the food would run out nothing guarantees a very active search for another similar source like being addicted. Ask any smoker who runs out of smokes at midnight.

Limiting calorie intake long term successfully for most people involves breaking a narcotic drug addiction. However, since oils are a required part of a healthy diet staying clean of this addiction is impossible.

The solution? Satisfy the addiction by finding things, other than eating, that makes us feel good. Or limit the need to be addicted by limiting exposure to things that make us feel bad. Or do both.

Biomed Res. 2006 Dec;27(6):259-63.Daily increase of fat ingestion mediated via mu-opioid receptor signaling pathway.
Mizushige T, Matsumura S...
We investigated the involvement of opioid receptors such as the mu and delta receptors in the predominant elevation of corn oil appetite just after 5-day repeated treatment of corn oil ingestion. Rats were given 5% corn oil emulsified with 0.3% xanthan gum for 20 min at the same hour for 5 consecutive days. A strong appetite for fat was formed after the 5 days presentation, and it was inhibited by naloxonazine, a selective antagonist of the mu-1 receptor, at doses of 3 mg/kg, but not by antagonists of the opioid delta receptor. In days 6, after the formation of a strong appetite for corn oil, an additional injection of naloxonazine suppressed fat intake 0-30, 30-60, 60-90 and 90-150 min after the presentation of the corn oil, but antagonists of the opioid delta receptor did not. These data suggested that the opioid mu receptor is involved in the sharp elevation of corn oil appetite during repeated presentation of corn oil to rats.
PMID: 17213681


Nerissa