The amount of dopamine excreted by the body affects how much a person gets a sharp pleasure from a tasty food: the less of it, the less a person is pleased with an appetizing food, the more this food is required to satisfy his need for pleasure – and, therefore, the more chances he has to get fat, scientists from the University of Oregon have found.
Researchers over the course of a year observed 76 girls aged 14 to 22 years, each of whom was tested for the genetic variant of Taq1A1 (its carriers have a reduced number of dopamine receptors in the brain). Participants in the experiment were offered to drink first a chocolate cocktail, and then a tasteless drink, while using special equipment to control the activity of the “pleasure center”.
As a result, it was possible not only to trace a certain pattern, but also to accurately predict which of the girls would gain excess weight during the year.
“While recent studies have suggested that obese people experience less pleasure in eating and eat more to compensate for this, this is the first time potential evidence for such a relationship has been found,” said Eric Stice.
The research results were published in the journal.
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