High-fat sugary foods cravings may have a connection with your genetic makeup.
Researchers at Imperial College London have come up to a study wherein they've identified a certain pair of genetic variants that work together to increase the brain's reward reaction to food high in fat and sugar.
The researchers believe that their findings may lead to a new treatment for obesity.
The spotted two genetic variants are to be found in close proximity to the FTO gene, that links the increased danger of obesity, and the DRD2 gene.
The study was to be presented Thursday at Obesity Week, a gathering in Los Angeles hosted by American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery and the Obesity Society.
"For the first time, we also found that the activation in a part of the brain called the striatum was increased when those with the variant in FTO looked at high-calorie foods, but this depended on which variant of the other gene DRD2 they possessed," study team leader Dr. Tony Goldstone said in an Obesity Society news release.
"The DRD2 variant alters how the dopamine system works in the brain."
The findings propose that one basis why people with the FTO variant are more expected to be obese may be because dopamine signals in their brain enhance cravings when they perceive foods high in fat and sugar, that leads tehm to eat more of those foods, according to Goldstone.
Functional MRI was used by the researchers to assess the brain responses of the participants as they look into the pictures of any high-calorie or low-calorie foods.
These findings may possibly enhance the understanding concerning the biological behavior of several people to obesity, said Leah Whigham, executive director of Paso Del Norte Institute for Healthy Living, in the news release.
"It is possible that people with these particular genetic variants may respond differently to certain treatments for obesity," Goldstone said.
"It could help us better target treatments for obesity so particular people get the most effective treatment, as individualized approaches to obesity are necessary," said Whigham, an Obesity Society spokeswoman.
