Why we overeat as we age (science article)

note: from a chinese medicine point of view, this suggests that over-tonifying the spleen/stomach with sugars eventually leads to yin vacuity of the stomach, that results in our trying to fill it with more food rather than internal chi. – Michael

KILLER CARBS — MONASH SCIENTIST FINDS THE KEY TO OVEREATING AS WE AGE
Monash University / EruekAlert!
August 21, 2008

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-08/mu-kc082108.php

A Monash University scientist has discovered key appetite control cells in
the human brain degenerate over time, causing increased hunger and
potentially weight-gain as we grow older.

The research by Dr Zane Andrews, a neuroendocrinologist with Monash
University’s Department of Physiology, has been published in Nature.

Dr Andrews found that appetite-suppressing cells are attacked by free
radicals after eating and said the degeneration is more significant
following meals rich in carbohydrates and sugars.

“The more carbs and sugars you eat, the more your appetite-control cells are
damaged, and potentially you consume more,” Dr Andrews said.

Dr Andrews said the attack on appetite suppressing cells creates a cellular
imbalance between our need to eat and the message to the brain to stop
eating.

“People in the age group of 25 to 50 are most at risk. The neurons that tell
people in the crucial age range not to over-eat are being killed-off.

“When the stomach is empty, it triggers the ghrelin hormone that notifies
the brain that we are hungry. When we are full, a set of neurons known as
POMC’s kick in.

“However, free radicals created naturally in the body attack the POMC
neurons. This process causes the neurons to degenerate overtime, affecting
our judgement as to when our hunger is satisfied,” Dr Andrews said.

The free radicals also try to attack the hunger neurons, but these are
protected by the uncoupling protein 2 (UCP2).

Dr Andrews said the reduction in the appetite-suppressing cells could be one
explanation for the complex condition of adult-onset obesity.

“A diet rich in carbohydrate and sugar that has become more and more
prevalent in modern societies over the last 20-30 years has placed so much
strain on our bodies that it’s leading to premature cell deterioration,” Dr
Andrews said.

Dr Andrews’ next research project will focus on finding if a diet rich in
carbohydrates and sugars has other impacts on the brain, such as the
increased incidences of neurological conditions like Parkinson’s disease.