Train Your Brain to Crave Healthy Food instead of Junk Food: MRI Research at Tufts

Can we actually change how our brain responds junk food - actually switch OFF our cravings for junk food, and switch ON our cravings for healthy food?  The answer is yes - and this is pretty big news, since many people are afraid they will forever struggle with junk food cravings, and this fear may prevent them from undertaking a healthy weight program.  The good news is that we've seen this clinically in our patients for many years  - that structure, coaching, support, specific planning, and time spent practicing a new healthy pattern - can lead to FREEDOM from junk food cravings.  (Some have even been alarmed/shocked that they developed a craving for fresh salads, and an aversion to junk food).  Now new preliminary MRI research from Tufts shows this very phenomenon is VISIBLE on brain scans, after six months of behavioral training!  We can actually CHANGE our brains, to prefer, even crave, healthy food over junk food.  http://www.nature.com/nutd/journal/v4/n9/abs/nutd201426a.html *  

The article notes the connection between junk cravings in the brain, and obesity: "Obesity is associated with hyperactivation of the reward system for high-calorie (HC) versus low-calorie (LC) food cues, which encourages unhealthy food selection and overeating."

Those in the behavioral intervention group lost an average of almost 14 pounds after six months of training (vs. those in the control group, who actually gained an average of almost 5 pounds), AND those who lost weight through the behavioral program actually changed their brains toward healthier responses - their brain activation on the MRI showed that their "reward areas" in the brain now preferred healthy food. "This study provides the first demonstration of a positive shift in activation of the reward system toward healthy versus unhealthy food."

According to the news release from Tufts: “Although other studies have shown that surgical procedures like gastric bypass surgery can decrease how much people enjoy food generally, this is not very satisfactory because it takes away food enjoyment generally rather than making healthier foods more appealing,” said first author and co-corresponding author Thilo Deckersbach, Ph.D., a psychologist at Massachusetts General Hospital. “We show here that it is possible to shift preferences from unhealthy food to healthy food without surgery, and that MRI is an important technique for exploring the brain’s role in food cues.” The diet the patients were coached on, compared to the standard American diet, was lower in glycemic index, and higher in protein and fiber.  

http://now.tufts.edu/news-releases/training-your-brain-prefer-healthy-foods

It is pretty remarkable that researchers were actually able to see on brain scans, what we have observed in our clinic - that behavioral interventions/healthy lifestyle training and support, can change people's preferences to healthy food, and away from junk food.  The editor notes that more research is needed, but that "individuals on a structured behavioral weight loss program had a change in brain activation on MRI towards low calorie vs high calorie foods at the end of a six month period…this study is the first to show that brain activation can be altered toward healthy vs unhealthy foods by a behavioral intervention."

This is pretty big news, since many people are afraid that they will always struggle with intense cravings for junk food - and this fear of suffering, and failure, can prevent them from ever starting a healthy weight program!

We employ a comprehensive, whole-person approach at our clinic, and individualize our care to meet each person's unique circumstances.  We look at the individual, their current lifestyle, their challenges, and them create specific strategies to create a healthy plan for nutrition, exercise/activity, lifestyle, and we also address medical issues that may be contributing to unhealthy weight, or caused by unhealthy weight.  Unlike mere lifestyle programs, we can also address medical factors, and discuss options for medical assistance with weight, as well (there are multiple new medications, in addition to older medications, which can help control food cravings while we work behaviorally on strategies which may ultimately help control cravings without medication.)   Read more about our program: http://www.physicianshealthyweightcenter.com   

You can call or email us today for more information: (603) 379-6500.  

*Citation: Nutrition & Diabetes (2014) 4, e129; doi:10.1038/nutd.2014.26

Published online 1 September 2014

"Pilot randomized trial demonstrating reversal of obesity-related abnormalities in reward system responsivity to food cues with a behavioral intervention"

T Deckersbach1, S K Das2, L E Urban2, T Salinardi2, P Batra2, A M Rodman1, A R Arulpragasam1, D D Dougherty1 and S B Roberts2

• 1Division of Neurotherapeutics, Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
• 2Energy Metabolism and Obesity Laboratory, Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging, Tufts University, Boston, MA, USA

Correspondence: Dr T Deckersbach, Division of Neurotherapeutics, Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, 73 High St. Charlestown, Boston, MA 02129, USAE-mail:Deckersbach.Thilo@mgh.harvard.edu; Dr S Roberts, Energy Metabolism and Obesity Laboratory, Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging, Tufts University, 711 Washington St. Boston, MA 02111, USA. E-mail: Susan.Roberts@tufts.edu

http://time.com/3256618/brain-training-healthy-food/