Junk Food And Nerve Damage: Gut Bacteria Confuses Your Brain

Sure, we all have our vices. And for many of us, junk food is one of them. Yet scientists at the University of Georgia have discovered just why we love to overeat when we're scarfing down our favorite greasy meals.

Turns out, it's not just about sugar, salt or food additives. It's actually a bit more complicated. The Daily Mail notes that it has to do with a change in the balance of the bacteria lurking around in the stomach because of this unhealthy combo. And when more fatty food is consumed, this bacteria tends to thrive on fat that's overpopulating and killing off other bacteria that may lead to inflammation of the nerves, potentially causing the brain to forget that we're full.

During an experiment on rats, researchers discovered the dangerous effects that fatty foods hold over our common sense when it comes to eating junk food.

The new diet resulted in a drastic change with an immediate effect that caused the nutrients to change the microenvironment of the gut, resulting in the overpopulation of some of the bacteria. Furthermore, some of the sensitive bacteria began to die and some populations began to vanish.

"When we switch the rats to a high-fat diet, it reorganizes brain circuits," Dr. Krzystof Czaja said, in a news release. "It induces inflammation in the brain regions responsible for feeding behavior. Those reorganized circuits and inflammation may alter satiety signaling."

Of course, the human body is meant to consume nutrients from natural sources. But with McDonalds to Taco Bell, many of us might not always make the most natural choices.

"In the regular physiological state, many different strains of bacteria live in a balanced environment in the intestinal tract. They don't overpopulate," Dr. Czaja said. "There are little shifts, but in general this population is quite stable."

However, he added that due to the junk food, some microenvironments in the gut and bacteria begin to overpopulate. "Some sensitive bacteria begin to die and some populations may even vanish."

Though researchers are still uncertain as to whether these changes are permanent, brain miscommunications created by junk food-if just temporary, even-may be enough to have you thinking, let's go for a salad instead of a White Castle slider. Right?

Statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show that more than two-thirds (68.8 percent) of adults are considered overweight or obese and more than 1 in 20 (6.3 percent) are dealing with extreme obesity, leading to an increased risk of a number of health conditions, ranging from cardiovascular disease to type 2 diabetes.

More information regarding the findings were presented at the 23rd Annual Meeting of the Society for the Study of Ingestive Behavior.

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