“Pathological Obesity & Drug Addiction…
… Share Common Brain Characteristics”
(this from the October 2001 National Institute on Drug Abuse’s _NIDA Notes_
and the original article can be found in the _Lancet_ 357 [9253]: 354-357,
2001 and the author’s of the article are G-J Wang, N.D. Volkow; et al. The
article in _Lancet_ was entitled “Brain dopamine and obesity.”)
This article was incredibly interesting since I have long held the belief
that morbid obesity (at least mine) was a biochemical glitch in the
brain. Otherwise, how could Phen-Fen have worked so well without my having
one iota of a problem eating correctly and exercising the way I was meant
to… until the moment it was removed from my system. My brain just needed
the right chemicals coursing about it.
“Reduced brain activity of dopamine, a naturally occurring substance that
modulates feelings of pleasure, may contribute to obesity as well as drug
addiction, a NIDA-funded study suggests. The study found that the brains
of obese individuals have relatively few of the nerve cell components
called D2 receptors through which dopamine acts to stimulate pleasurable
feelings from basic activities such as eating and sex. Individuals with
this deficiency may need to overeat to get feelings of gratification from
food, the researchers say. Because a deficit of the same receptor has been
implicated in addiction to cocaine heroin, and other drugs of abuse, the
researchers suggest that it may be linked to a range of compulsive behaviors.”
The article goes on to explain how they examined 10 obese patients (with an
average BMI of 51.2) and 10 non-obese patients (with an average BMI of
24.7) and with a brain scan (PET), measured the dopamine receptors. Obese
subjects, men as well as women, had markedly lower dopamine receptors
(there is a picture in the article). Interesting to note: the fatter the
subject, the fewer receptors, leading them to wonder which comes first…
the lower receptors making the subject eat more or the more an obese person
eats, the fewer the receptors… and does it cause a vicious cycle (my
non-scientific opinion is YES… it *does* cause a vicious cycle… the
more I ate, the more I wanted to eat).
” ‘It is through activation of these circuits that we are motivated to do
the things we perceive as pleasurable,’ Dr. Volkow says. ‘If you have a
decrease in the dopamine receptors that transmit pleasurable feelings, you
become less responsive to the stimuli, such as food or sex, that normally
activate them,’ she says. ‘When these activities don’t reward you enough,
your brain signals you to do something that will stimulate the circuits
sufficiently to create a sense of well-being. Thus, the individual who has
low sensitivity to normal stimuli learns behaviors, such as abusing drugs
or overeating, that will activate them.’ ”
An idea for these researchers (not that they would ever hear me, but…) is
to do the PET scans on pre-ops and then do another PET scan every 2-3
months post-op and see what those dopamine receptors look like. That would
help them to see if the food causes the receptors to lessen. I wonder how
I could so voraciously eat pre-op, yet am able to stop eating and even make
wise choices post-op… withOUT chemicals. This was a distinct concern of
mine pre-op because I knew my body and my history with Phen-Fen… would a
simple reduction in the size of my stomach be enough to stop this train
wreck? So far, the answer was yes… but *why*… *why* would it work so
well for so many of us? And why do some struggle from day one with the
compulsion to overeat and others don’t struggle for 18 months or
more? What can we do to lengthen the Honeymoon Period? What answers do
the future of science hold for us?
Just some thoughts.
Barbara Herrera
San Diego, CA - 40 years old
Open RNY April 5, 2001
Dr. Julie Ellner, Alvarado Hospital, San Diego, CA
4/5/01: 344# BMI: 63
8/24/01: 244# BMI: 45 (minus 100 pounds!)
12/18/01: 198# BMI: 36.2
(LOST: Diabetes, GERD, IBS, Stress Incontinence, Sleep Apnea, Snoring,
PCOS, Joint Pain, Immobility, Insatiable Hunger/Thirst, & A Premature Death
Sentence. FOUND: LIFE!!!)
February 28th, 2003 at 8:49 pm
Barbara,
Thanks for sharing that most interesting article. I went through a spate of
drinking for about 5-6 weeks because I needed some kind of Altered State.
It’s been hard, but I’m managing it. We need so much more research in this
area. I suffer from depression, but SRI anti depressants made me gain a lot
of weight and slow my progress losing post op. I know when I’ve had to take
pain killers for legitimate reasons, I LOVED having to take them and thank
God I’ve never been drawn to that as an illegitimate activity (raised by a
COP) because I know I’d have slipped right down that slope.
So sad that we hear news stories blaring constantly about the percentage of
obese in our population and the cautionary tale is to avoid fast food. It is
so much more complicated than that. But because of the social stigma of
obesity, it doesn’t get the research attention it desperately needs. We’re
just lazy slobs. Glad to see it get some study.
Anne S
Lap RNY 6/01