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Numb the Sweet Tooth in Your Brain

Are you plagued by a sweet tooth that continually works against your weight loss efforts? Would you like to get rid of it, or at least weaken it some? A couple of recent studies brain fitness shed some light on this little devil in our heads that drives us to crave all those goodies.

It’s in Your Head

There is a part of your brain, called the pontine parabrachial nucleus (we’ll just call this the PBN from here on out) that is partly responsible for these cravings. The PBN sits in your brain stem, just above your spinal cord and plays a big role in sensing the foods you taste. It also sends messages to other parts of your brain involved in pleasure and in motor activity, to decide whether or not to keep your indulgences going.

Kovacs and Hajnal reported in the December 2008 issue of the Journal of Neurophysiology, that this little part of the brain may be different in obese individuals compared to normal weight folks. Actually they used an obese strain of rat and a related strain of healthy weight, but the message likely applies to humans as well. In fact, their study is consistent with an older study in humans, which we’ll get into in a minute.

What the new research found was that obese rats actually have fewer brain cells in the PBN that sense sugar. This means that the obese rats need more sugar to get the same level of sweet sensation, reminiscent of how drug addiction works. The more you use, the more you need, to get the same feeling.

Some older human studies showed something similar. In these, the researchers weren’t able to look into the human brains, but they did look at people who had successfully lost weight and others who had not been so successful. What they found was that the successful weight loss folks required less sugar to feel that a drink was pleasurably sweet. The folks that were less successful at losing weight required more sugar to get a pleasurable sweet sensation.

Numbing the Sweet Tooth

So the question is can we do anything about it? Can we change our PBN to sense pleasurable sweetness from less sugar, which would decrease our cravings for large doses of sweets on a regular basis? Well, there are several studies that suggest we can. If we slowly cut back on sugar, like weaning ourselves off a drug, we will become more sensitive and require less to feel satisfied.

Another new study actually shed some more light on this subject, again looking at the PBN. This study found that a class of brain chemicals, called endocannabinoids (which are what marijuana mimics) turn on our need for sugar and fat. Any child of the 60s will relate to the munchies.

DiPatrizio and Simansky reported in the September 2008 edition of the Journal of Neuroscience that rats given endocannabinoids straight into their PBN, ate more fat and sugar when given the chance, but did not eat more regular rat chow. Dosing up their PBN made them specifically want fat and sugar.

Why is this important? Several other studies suggest that a high omega-6 diet can increase the amount of endocannabinoids in your brain, which in turn might make you crave more fat and sugar. This may be a premature claim, but several studies (including some of our own) are beginning to point to a high omega-6 and low omega-3 diet as something that can crank up the drive to eat.

So another way to control your sweet tooth may be to reduce the amount of omega-6s you eat (which come from processed foods full of corn and vegetable oils) and crank up the amount of omega-3s you eat (which mostly come from fish). We’ve beat the omega-3 horse in several past articles so won’t cover it again here.

So this gives you two approaches to numbing down your sweet tooth. First, wean yourself off high doses of sugar, and, second, increase the ratio of omega-3s to omega-6s in your diet.

References:
Journal of Neurophysiology 2008, 100:2145-2157
Journal of Neuroscience 2008, 28(39):9702-9709

About the Author

Dr. Simon Evans holds a PhD in molecular biology with 15 years research and teaching experience in neuroscience and a current faculty position in the Psychiatry Department at the University of Michigan. He is a member of the Society for Neuroscience, the American Society for Nutrition and the Michigan Metabolomics and Obesity Center; with expertise in neurochemistry and nutrition. He is the author of dozens of scientific publications on stress, depression and brain function as well as the acclaimed book, BrainFit for Life, published in the Spring of 2008.

Dr. Evans also holds a national coaching license from the United States Soccer Federation and over two decades coaching experience, which enables him to help people find and use their full potential. Dr. Evans has merged his interests in brain function, health, and performance coaching into public seminars and workshops designed to educate audiences about brain health and motivate them to take action to achieve it.

Horse Grooming - The Basics You Should Know

While it might seem that grooming a horse is purely cosmetic, it is in fact an important part of your horse's care. By caring for your horse's coat, you not only make him look better, but make him feel better too. Spending time with him while grooming is also a wonderful way to bond with your horse, letting you get to know him in a mutually enjoyable setting.

For basic grooming you need several different types of brushes. The following are some of the most common brushes:

Curry comb - a plastic or rubber brush with raised bumps on one side and a strap or loop on the back to hold your hand in

Hard brush - a wooden or plastic backed brush with bristles that are hard to the touch and not terribly flexible

Medium brush - a wooden or plastic backed brush with bristles that are firm, yet flexible

Soft brush - a wooden or plastic backed brush with soft, long bristles that are very flexible

Finishing/Dandy brush - a wooden backed brush, oval in shape, with short bristles that are tightly packed to be firm, yet soft to the touch

Hoof pick - a metal hook-shaped implement (looks like a bent screwdriver) designed to remove dirt from the hooves, sometimes has a brush on one end, may have a metal or plastic hand hold

Mane comb - a wide-toothed plastic or metal comb of variable length

Pulling comb - a wide-toothed metal comb, about 4" long and with 1" long teeth

Tail brush - much like a human hair brush

Shedding blade - a long, thin metal bar that is bent back upon itself, one edge smooth, the other serrated

To groom your horse, it is safest to tie him securely either on crossties or in his stall. While you can groom a horse loose in his stall, unless you know the horse well, tying is always safer.

Start with the curry comb. Curry your horse in a circular motion so that the brush strokes follow the direction of the coat. Feel free to use a fair bit of pressure as this acts as a massage for the horse. The curry comb brings all the dirt to the surface and loosens any shedding hair. Rubber curries are best for the summer months, while plastic ones are better for long winter coats. Avoid currying the legs and face as they are more sensitive and need a softer brush.

Next take the medium brush and brush the entire coat in the direction of the hair growth. Use short strokes and flick the brush at the end of each stroke. This dislodges the dirt and removes it from the coat. You can use a hard brush on the legs if necessary to break up any caked on mud, but generally hard brushes are too firm for the rest of the coat.

A medium brush can be used on the face, but most horses prefer a soft brush. The soft brush is used over the horse's entire coat and is used to flick off any remaining dirt and dust. It produces a nice shine and for everyday grooming is the perfect finishing touch. If you are showing, you might want to use a finishing or dandy brush to finish the job.

The mane should be combed out regularly with a mane comb. Pulling combs work well too, but may break more hair than a plastic mane comb. You can comb the tail with a mane comb if you'd like, but many horse owners prefer to use a brush. You can buy specialty brushes for horses, but brushes made for human hair work just as well and often cost less.

Finally, every time you groom, you should pick out the horse's feet. Start out at the point where the frog meets the heel, and clear out the grooves beside the frog. Be sure to clear the grooves thoroughly as stones wedged in the groove can bruise the frog and cause lameness. Then clean the rest of the sole, clearing any dirt packed around the shoes (if any). If your hoof pick has a brush on it, you can use the brush to sweep the rest of the dirt from the hoof.

Horses should be groomed daily if at all possible. If you are riding, it is important to groom both before and after every ride, paying careful attention to the feet. A well groomed horse is a healthy horse. Both you and he will feel better for a good grooming.

About the Author

Lydia K Kelly is a writer for HorseClicks, classifieds of
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