Gastric Bypass Surgery Reduces Hedonic Hunger

Obesity is an extremely complex condition that involves many factors including both mental and physiological aspects that appear to be tightly intertwined.  While overeating is a major factor in obesity, overeating can sometimes be the result of physiological changes.  For example, severely obese individuals have been reported to have low levels of dopamine type 2 receptors in certain areas of their brains; similar to changes seen in individuals with addictive behaviors.

Hedonic hunger relates to the pleasure experienced when eating highly delicious foods as well as the craving of such foods in the absence of any dietary needs.  It has been suggested that hedonic hunger may be a greater trigger to overeating than actual hunger.  The impact of gastric bypass surgery on hedonic hunger is the focus of a new obesity research study recently published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.  For this study, obesity researchers asked study volunteers (110 non-obese volunteers, 123 severely obese individuals, and 136 gastric bypass patients) about their feelings about food and appetite using the Power of Food Scale questionnaire.  The results of this study were quite interesting:

• Severely obese study subjects had substantially higher levels of hedonic hunger thoughts and behaviors compared to non-obese study volunteers.  This was true for the overall scores as well as 2 of the 3 questionnaire sub-sections.
• Gastric bypass patients had lower hedonic hunger scores when compared to severely obese volunteers.
• The hedonic hunger scores of gastric bypass patients were similar to the non-obese study subjects for both the overall scores and 2 of the 3 questionnaire sub-sections.

Gastric bypass surgery aids in weight loss through both the reduction of food intake and food absorption.   The reduction in food intake appears to be due to a number of factors including [1] reduced stomach size, [2] increased levels of hormones that make one feel full, [3] increased levels of dopamine type 2 receptors in certain areas of the brain.  These changes help to reduce food intake and support weight loss.  The way in which gastric bypass surgery effects hedonic hunger remains an area for further investigation.  Changes in appetite-related hormones and hormone receptors are potentially involved, but probably do not act alone.  The study investigators suggest that their observed reduction in hedonic hunger might also be learned as a result of adverse effects experienced by gastric bypass patients who continue to consume highly palatable foods after their surgery.  While the reasons remain uncertain, it appears from this study that one of the ways gastric bypass surgery helps with weight loss is to normalize hedonic hunger and thereby possibly removing one of the triggers for overeating.

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