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The pleasure of eating: Chocolate addiction explored
ABSTRACTS
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gastric presentation of glucose yield identical emptying rates. In contrast to glucose, the route of administration (oral/gastric) is a major determinant of corn oil emptying. Corn oil emulsions that bypass the mouth empty at least twice as rapidly as orally consumed corn oil. This oral modulation of gastric emptying cannot be explained as simply an effect of caloric density since the emptying of equicaloric glucose is not affected by oral delivery. In addition, the oral/ gastric difference cannot be attributed to the action of lingual lipase since oil consumed orally by donor rats and fresh oil emptied similarly after gastric presentation. It appears that the relevant information derives from cephalic receptors. We are pursuing the nature of this stimulation. There are clear clinical implications for care of patients maintained on enteral diets containing oil. (Supported by NIH-DK.)
The Pleasure of Eating: Chocolate Addiction Explored. M. M. HETHERINGTON and J. I. MACDIARMID. Department of Psychology, University of Dundee, U.K. Three studies were conducted to investigate the phenomenon of so-called chocolate addiction. In the first study, 50 self-identified "addicts" were interviewed about their behaviour. Central to their definition of chocolate addiction was excessive intake, a lack of control around this food and inability to resist the orosensory features of chocolate. The second study tested the hypothesis that overconsumption of chocolate related to poor expression of factors related to the inhibition of appetite. This prediction was partly confirmed, with "addicts" demonstrating significantly smaller changes in pleasantness of chocolate despite greater intake compared to controls. In the third study, subjects rated hunger, appetite and mood before and after eating chocolate outside of the laboratory. The objective was to investigate potential mood modulation effects of consuming chocolate. "Addicts" did not report increased positive affect following intake, but rather reported increased guilt. In summary, self-identified chocolate "addicts" were significantly more depressed than controls and demonstrated higher levels of disinhibition and emotional eating. Consumption of chocolate was associated with significantly smaller changes in pleasantness relative to controls and no change in affect other than increased guilt. In these subjects, pleasure derived from eating chocolate appears short-lived, excessive intake may contribute to weakened satiety responses and this in turn may potentiate further overconsumption.
Galanin Injected into the Hypothalamic PVN Increases Dopamine Release and Decreases Acetylcholine in the Nucleus Accumbens System for Behavior Reinforcement, BARTLEY G. HOEBEL, GREGORY P. MARK and PEDRO V. RADA. Department of Psychology, Princeton University, NJ 08544 U.S.A. Galanin (GAL, 300 pmol), neuropeptide Y (NPY, 78 pmol) and saline were each injected ipsilaterally into the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) while extracellular dopamine (DA) and acetylcholine (ACh) were monitored in the nucleus accumbens (NAc). On a later day, injections were repeated in the same rats with food pellets available and intake measured. The result with GAL was a significant increase in DA (152% of baseline, n = 8) and a concomitant decrease in ACh (75% of baseline, n=7). This was observed only in the animals that later proved to eat in response to GAL. Injections of NPY were without effect on DA and ACh whether they induced feeding or not. Saline injections had no effects. We conclude that when G A L in the PVN activates a circuit for eating food, it also activates circuitry that releases DA and inhibits ACh release in the NAc. This may be the link from a hypothalamic feeding mechanism to a NAc system for initiation and reinforcement of behavior. (Supported by USPHS grant NS 30697.)
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gastric presentation of glucose yield identical emptying rates. In contrast to glucose, the route of administration (oral/gastric) is a major determinant of corn oil emptying. Corn oil emulsions that bypass the mouth empty at least twice as rapidly as orally consumed corn oil. This oral modulation of gastric emptying cannot be explained as simply an effect of caloric density since the emptying of equicaloric glucose is not affected by oral delivery. In addition, the oral/ gastric difference cannot be attributed to the action of lingual lipase since oil consumed orally by donor rats and fresh oil emptied similarly after gastric presentation. It appears that the relevant information derives from cephalic receptors. We are pursuing the nature of this stimulation. There are clear clinical implications for care of patients maintained on enteral diets containing oil. (Supported by NIH-DK.)
The Pleasure of Eating: Chocolate Addiction Explored. M. M. HETHERINGTON and J. I. MACDIARMID. Department of Psychology, University of Dundee, U.K. Three studies were conducted to investigate the phenomenon of so-called chocolate addiction. In the first study, 50 self-identified "addicts" were interviewed about their behaviour. Central to their definition of chocolate addiction was excessive intake, a lack of control around this food and inability to resist the orosensory features of chocolate. The second study tested the hypothesis that overconsumption of chocolate related to poor expression of factors related to the inhibition of appetite. This prediction was partly confirmed, with "addicts" demonstrating significantly smaller changes in pleasantness of chocolate despite greater intake compared to controls. In the third study, subjects rated hunger, appetite and mood before and after eating chocolate outside of the laboratory. The objective was to investigate potential mood modulation effects of consuming chocolate. "Addicts" did not report increased positive affect following intake, but rather reported increased guilt. In summary, self-identified chocolate "addicts" were significantly more depressed than controls and demonstrated higher levels of disinhibition and emotional eating. Consumption of chocolate was associated with significantly smaller changes in pleasantness relative to controls and no change in affect other than increased guilt. In these subjects, pleasure derived from eating chocolate appears short-lived, excessive intake may contribute to weakened satiety responses and this in turn may potentiate further overconsumption.
Galanin Injected into the Hypothalamic PVN Increases Dopamine Release and Decreases Acetylcholine in the Nucleus Accumbens System for Behavior Reinforcement, BARTLEY G. HOEBEL, GREGORY P. MARK and PEDRO V. RADA. Department of Psychology, Princeton University, NJ 08544 U.S.A. Galanin (GAL, 300 pmol), neuropeptide Y (NPY, 78 pmol) and saline were each injected ipsilaterally into the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) while extracellular dopamine (DA) and acetylcholine (ACh) were monitored in the nucleus accumbens (NAc). On a later day, injections were repeated in the same rats with food pellets available and intake measured. The result with GAL was a significant increase in DA (152% of baseline, n = 8) and a concomitant decrease in ACh (75% of baseline, n=7). This was observed only in the animals that later proved to eat in response to GAL. Injections of NPY were without effect on DA and ACh whether they induced feeding or not. Saline injections had no effects. We conclude that when G A L in the PVN activates a circuit for eating food, it also activates circuitry that releases DA and inhibits ACh release in the NAc. This may be the link from a hypothalamic feeding mechanism to a NAc system for initiation and reinforcement of behavior. (Supported by USPHS grant NS 30697.)