UPTON, N.Y., April 19 (UPI) -- U.S. scientists said Monday they have found new evidence that brain circuits involved in drug addiction are also activated by the desire for food.
Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory said the mere display of food -- smelling and tasting favorite foods without actually eating them -- causes increases in metabolism throughout the brain. Increases of metabolism in the brain region that controls drive and pleasure also correlate strongly with food and hunger desire, they said.
In the new study, the scientists looked at how 12 food-deprived, normal-weight study volunteers responded to their favorite foods by using positron emission tomography, or PET scans, a technique to measure brain metabolism during food stimulation.
They found food stimulation significantly increased whole brain metabolism. Metabolism was higher in all regions of the brain examined, except for the occipital cortex, which controls vision and would not be affected.
