People often have trouble curbing cravings for unhealthy foods when they’re under stress. What is it about stress that causes people to head to the refrigerator to indulge in a high-calorie snack when the going gets tough? Research shows that a brain chemical called dopamine affects appetite, food cravings, and weight control. When dopamine levels drop, we’re more likely to overeat and eat the wrong things.
What is Dopamine?
Dopamine is a neurotransmitter, a brain chemical that helps brain cells communicate with each other. Dopamine is sometimes referred to as the “happiness” or “feel-good” brain chemical since it’s activated during times of pleasure – listening to music, during sex, during a relaxing massage or when eating certain foods. Addictive drugs and compulsive gambling also increase dopamine levels, giving the person a feeling of satisfaction and pleasure that motivates them to keep taking the drug or put another quarter in a slot machine.
In some people, the switch that turns on dopamine seems to malfunction and they have a relative dopamine deficiency. As a result, they overeat or seek out comfort foods in an attempt to turn on dopamine production again to feel pleasure.
Stress, Dopamine and Food Cravings
This type of dopamine dysregulation can be triggered by stress and is one explanation for why people eat more and choose more comfort foods when they’re “stressed out” They want to “turn on” dopamine so they can again feel satisfaction and pleasure. Not surprisingly, people who are depressed have low dopamine levels, and depression has been linked with weight gain and obesity.
Dopamine levels are also linked with satiety. When your dopamine levels are high, you feel satisfied with smaller quantities of food and are less likely to crave foods high in sugar or fat. On the other hand, when dopamine levels fall due to stress, you overeat in an unconscious attempt to boost the amount of dopamine in your brain – to feel a sense of satisfaction and pleasure.
Boost Dopamine to Reduce Cravings?
Pleasurable activities that don’t involve eating comfort foods are healthier ways to boost dopamine levels – enjoying a relaxing massage, listening to music or meditating. Rather than heading to the refrigerator for a snack, put on classical or new age music instead. One study showed that dopamine levels were 9% higher when people listened to music they enjoyed. Exercise also appears to increase dopamine levels. So a regular workout program not only burns calories, it helps to reduce cravings too.
Nutrition can also affect dopamine levels. Dopamine is made from two amino acids, phenylalanine and tyrosine, found in protein-rich foods. Getting adequate amounts of these amino acids from lean sources of protein gives your brain the “raw materials” it needs to make more dopamine. B vitamins also play a role in dopamine and nervous system function, especially pyridoxine, vitamin B6.
The best approach? Make sure you’re eating a whole food diet that supplies a full range of macro and micronutrients your body needs to ward off nutritional imbalances that affect dopamine levels with a focus on getting adequate amounts of protein.
The Bottom Line?
There’s no doubt that what goes on in your brain affects appetite and food cravings and makes it easier or harder to control weight – and dopamine seems to be very involved in this process. Eating a nutritionally-balanced diet, avoiding stress, exercising and seeking out pleasures other than food all help to maintain normal dopamine levels and keep cravings under control.
References:
Nutrition & Metabolism 2008, 5:35 doi:10.1186/1743-7075-5-35
Energy Times. June 2012. “Happy Brain, Fewer Pounds”
Podea, Delia, et al, “The Role of Dopamine in Depression,” The Romanian Journal of Psychopharmacology, 2008.
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