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Ever notice how celebration and overeating often go hand-in hand? Americans celebrate holidays with formidable feasts and punctuate promotions and other happy news with plenty to eat; The proverbial fatted calf, if you will.
Now, research shows our minds could be hard-wired to chemically reward ourselves with delicious food, no matter how full we feel.
An Italian team of researchers conducted the very small study on what is called "hedonic hunger." According to
MSN, the study only involved 8 participants, and as such, the authors of the study acknowledge their findings are still in the preliminary stage.
The authors do, however, believe they have found a physiological link between indulging in foods well beyond what the body needs and a "reactive jump" in the levels of 2 key chemicals.
The first of these chemicals is ghrelin, a hormone produced in the stomach which regulates both motivation and reward. The second chemical, "2-AG" (2-arachidonoylglycerol) is involved in appetite.
"This is a very intriguing study," said Joe Vinson, speaking to MSN. Vinson is a professor of chemistry at the
University of Scranton in Pennsylvania.
"It involves the psychology of the brain, as well as biochemistry. And, yes, it's entirely possible that this kind of chemical overriding might happen, in which the brain wants a particular kind of food even though the person is full."
Vinson did not participate in the study.
Comment: Soy has been described as a health and environmental nightmare:
The War on Soy: Why the 'Miracle Food' May Be a Health Risk and Environmental Nightmare
Feedlot Meat Has Spurred a Soy Boom That Has a Devastating Environmental and Human Cost
Genetically Modified Soy: The Invisible Ingredient 'Poisoning' Children