the cause of the "dessert stomach”
Hey everyone, it’s Till here. I recently came across some fascinating research that really got me thinking about that “dessert stomach” phenomenon—and I had to share it with you. The study, conducted on mice, reveals that even when they're full, the moment they taste sugar, a specific group of nerve cells (the POMC neurons) kick into action. These neurons signal satiety and release one of our natural opiates, β-endorphin, which creates a reward feeling that makes the mice keep eating sugar even beyond fullness.
What blew my mind was that this opioid pathway was activated when the mice ate the sugar and even when they just sensed it. When researchers blocked this pathway, the mice stopped indulging in extra sugar—an effect observed only in full mice, not those hungry.
The study didn’t stop there. Brain scans on human volunteers revealed a similar reaction in a specific brain region packed with opiate receptors near the satiety neurons. From an evolutionary perspective, this makes a lot of sense: sugar is a rare, quick-energy resource, so our brains are hardwired to seize the opportunity whenever it appears.
Beyond being a fascinating insight into our behavior, these findings could have profound implications for obesity treatment. Some drugs already target these opiate receptors, but the weight loss results have been modest. Combining them with other therapies might offer a more effective solution—but more research is needed.
As someone who’s always been passionate about healthy eating and understanding how our food impacts us, this study resonates with me. It highlights how even small, seemingly indulgent choices can be deeply rooted in our biology—and why making conscious decisions about what we eat is so important.
I’m excited to dive deeper into these insights in my upcoming blog series, exploring how our brains influence our food choices and what that means for healthier living. Stay tuned for more, and let’s keep challenging ourselves to understand and improve how we eat.
Reference:
Marielle Minère, Hannah Wilhelms, Bojana Kuzmanovic, Sofia Lundh, Debora Fusca, Alina Claßen, Stav Shtiglitz, Yael Prilutski, Itay Talpir, Lin Tian, Brigitte Kieffer, Jon Davis, Peter Kloppenburg, Marc Tittgemeyer, Yoav Livneh, Henning Fenselau. Thalamic opioids from POMC satiety neurons switch on sugar appetite. Science, 2025; 387 (6735): 750 DOI: 10.1126/science.adp1510
