How Your Brain Affects Weight Loss
Your brain is a network of nerves that connect together via synapses. A synapse is nothing more than a technical name for a gap. Messages (nerve impulses) need to cross this gap for the nerves to communicate. Neurotransmitters are the chemicals that cause the transmission of the nerve impulse from one nerve to another. There are a number of neurotransmitters in your brain and they vary considerably. There are issues of how many neurotransmitters you synthesise, how quickly you break it down once it has been released, what the threshold of stimulation is for the nerves to release the neurotransmitter into the synapse and so on.
There are five neurotransmitters that are most strongly related to weight gain, and weight loss. A deficiency of dopamine, norepinephrine and serotonin or an excess of neuropeptide Y and ghrelin will interfere with achieving and maintaining normal weight.
A deficiency of dopamine is characterised by an addiction to food or compulsive eating behaviours. Commonly, there is also a lack of motivation which often manifests as a lack of interest in exercise even though the benefits are known by the person with the deficiency. Dopamine regulates reward pathways so a deficiency leads to increasingly excessive behaviours to gain those intrinsic rewards.
Norepinephrine stimulates your metabolism and stimulates thermogenesis (burning fat for heat). A deficiency is often found when a person is subject to chronic stress and is experiencing ‘burn out’.
Serotonin is most commonly associated with depression however this is not its only function. Serotonin is also associated with appetite regulation and other body functions. Symptoms of a deficiency can include constipation, insomnia and carbohydrate cravings.
An excess of neuropeptide Y will also cause an increase in appetite and carbohydrate cravings. As you can see, differentiating between an excess of neuropeptide Y and a deficiency of serotonin requires training and further information.
Ghrelin causes an increase in eating behaviours via its stimulatory effect on the hypothalamus in your brain. It is linked to binge eating behaviours. Eating protein will inhibit ghrelin’s actions so, if you are starting to binge eat then you should eat some protein until the feelings subside.
This is only a simple overview of some of the actions of these neurotransmitters. You should not attempt to diagnose a deficiency or excess of a neurotransmitter unless you are a qualified health care practitioner. However, being aware of these issues in weight loss may help you find the appropriate care to help you on your weight loss journey.
