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3 August 2005
High Fat Diet Blocks Appetite Regulator 
An experiment where rats chow down on high calorie fatty foods has shown that the high fat intake blocks the signal that would normally tell them to stop eating. According to a paper published in the Journal of Nutrition, rats on a low calorie diet and hormone supplement fared much better; easily resisting what we would call cravings. "When we gave the rats doses of a 'stop eating' hormone, the rats on the low fat diet significantly suppressed their intake of the snack but not the rats on the high fat diet," said team leader Dr. Mihai Covasa, of the Penn State Neuroscience Institute. "These results suggest that a long-term, high-fat diet may actually promote short-term over consumption of highly palatable foods high in dietary fat by reducing sensitivity to at least one important feedback signal which would ordinarily limit eating," Covasa added. The 'stop eating' hormone used in the study was cholecystokinin or CCK, which is normally released by cells in the small intestine when fat or protein is present. The hormone's release activates nerves that connect the intestine with the brain where the decision to stop eating is made. Prior studies with human subjects have shown that while those on high fat diets have more CCK in their bloodstream they are less responsive to its effects. As a result, a cycle of persistent eating can develop, as people typically report feeling increased hunger and declining fullness. Covasa's study, with rats, is the first to link diminished sensitivity to CCK following exposure to a high fat diet.
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