The vagus nerve sends internal sensory information from the gut to the brain about the nutritional value of food. But, the molecular basis of the reward in the brain associated with what we eat has been incompletely understood.

Now, a new study published in Cell Metabolism by a team from the Monell Chemical Senses Center, unravels the internal neural wiring, revealing separate fat and sugar craving pathways, as well as a concerning result: Combining these pathways overly triggers our desire to eat more than usual.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1550413123004667?via%3Dihub (open access)

  • @CaptainSpaceman
    link
    2211 months ago

    Sugar should prob be regulated at least like Aspirin or maybe Alcohol

    • @NegativeInf
      link
      1211 months ago

      At the very least, regulated in quantity by the FDA. Sure, you can add some sugar to bread to help with the rising process, but not so much that it’s a cake. Added sugars is modern adulteration, there only to disguise the lack of quality in other ingredients or preparation.

      • @[email protected]
        link
        fedilink
        311 months ago

        It agitates me to no end why every bread product is loaded with sugar. I can tell immediately when someone uses pillsbury rolls, biscuts, crescent rolls. Even worse Hawaiian rolls which should have a little sweetness are stuffed with sugar to be sweater than everything else it’s just about pastry levels of sugar.

      • @shalafi
        link
        English
        211 months ago

        I was in my late 40s when I figured out that sourdough is called such because it isn’t loaded with sugar. If it isn’t obvious, I’m American.

        • @NegativeInf
          link
          211 months ago

          I thought it was due to the extended wild fermentation process and additional lactic acid?

          • @[email protected]
            link
            fedilink
            111 months ago

            Yeah they’re wrong. Sourdough is fermented with a symbiotic (probs not literal symbiosis, biologists don’t kill me with Mr Killalot’s solution) culture of wild yeasts (some domesticated in starter for hundreds of years now so questionable name) and bacteria.

            The yeast makes alcohol and the bacteria makes acids. Consequently the loaf is sour.

            you could, and probably someone on this enormous earth does, add sugar and cook before it’s all used to make sweet and sourdough I guess.

      • edric
        link
        fedilink
        2
        edit-2
        11 months ago

        It’s mindblowing how sugar (usually in the form of high fructose corn syrup) is added on most food products in the US, even on stuff that don’t really need them. I started being conscious and reading labels on the things I buy at the grocery store and it’s so hard to avoid the stuff.

        • @[email protected]
          link
          fedilink
          211 months ago

          No kidding, I remember buying a loaf of rye bread when I went to the US and being shocked that it tasted sweet. It’s rye bread, sweetness is not the flavour I was going for.

      • @angrystego
        link
        111 months ago

        I agree. Let me add that it’s not added just to disguise the overall bad quality. It is added because the human body craves sugar. People find sweetened food more rewarding as was described in the article, and therefore they are more likely to buy it. Adding sugar is profitable.

      • @CaptainSpaceman
        link
        111 months ago

        Its double sided, because it makes bad food taste better but also creates an addictive product