This Is Your Brain On Calories

Scientists at Duke University recently investigated how the human brain controls food intake and whether calories, rather than taste, might play a role in the desire to eat.

The researchers took normal mice and mice that had been genetically altered to eliminate their sense of sweetness and conducted a series of experiments to measure their preference for plain water versus water sweetened with sugar and water sweetened with sucralose.

They found that all of the mice preferred the sugar water over plain water. However, as for splenda, the normal mice preferred the calorie-free sweetener, while the altered mice showed no particular preference. The results suggest that the altered mice found some pleasure in eating sugar not for its sweetness, but because of its calorie content.

The scientists also found that dopamine levels only increased in the altered mice when they were given real sugar as opposed to splenda, adding further evidence to the theory that the brain derives pleasure from calories.