TaqIA
Some people eat to feel better, and the dorsal striatum is one part of the brain that triggers happiness from food. Obese rats have fewer dopamine receptors than thin rats. The theory is that these rats do not get as much reward from eating as rats with normal amounts of dopamine receptors. Therefore, they need to eat more to feel the same sense of reward. Whereas, thin rats are satisfied with less food. Studies on humans showed that a defect in TaqIA is associated with obesity and fewer DRD2 receptors. Researchers gave a chocolate milkshake to females. Women with this defect had less brain activation in an area called the left caudate nucleus (related to activity in the dorsal striatum) and had higher BMIs. The theory about rats with less dopamine activation requiring more food to feel satisfied seems to carry over to humans. The TaqIA section of DNA may predict how much we will end up eating. Skinny people may simply not feel like eating as much food as overweight people. Along these lines, dopamine is part of the reward system that is activated with drug abuse. Overweight people may truly be somewhat addicted to food. Return to Genetics or the
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It is important you
discuss any weight loss or exercise plan with your doctor. Only you and
your physician can decide what is best for you. Some people have
certain conditions that prevent them from doing all exercises, and goal
body weights may be different for different people. You need to discuss
all these things with your physician before starting any weight loss or
exercise program. This article was written by John Vickery, MD. References Science. 2008 Oct 17;322(5900):449-52.
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