Some women seem to be able to eat anything in sight and yet remain reed slim, while others watch everything that they eat and yet pile on the pounds. A large international study conducted in Australia by the Monash Obesity and Diabetes Institute (MODI) at Monash University says that the reason for this is that it is not lack of willpower but brain cells that determine obesity.
Normally the brain cells tell the body when to stop eating and when to burn energy; however these vital signals no longer reach because the brain cells become insulated due to a high fat diet.
According to Professor Michael Cowley, the brain cells that get insulated results in the body being unable to know when to stop eating and had another consequence as well – that of the body being unable to know when to increase energy use and burn off excess calories.
A high fat diet itself is responsible for the brain cells developing a certain way, and this is what determines appetite and energy expenditure. These brain circuits are formed very early in life and this is the reason why some people have the tendency to become obese very early on in life.
