Do You Have a "Fat Brain"?

SHOCKING pictures this week of the world's heaviest man divided opinion across the nation.

Some expressed sympathy for 980 pound Paul Mason while others displayed revulsion, blaming gluttony for his size. But scientists are now offering a new and highly controversial explanation for Paul, 48, of Ipswich, Suffolk, gaining so much weight that he is now classed as "super-obese". They claim his brain may have been programmed from birth to want too much food, causing him to overeat all his life. In other words, some of us have FAT BRAINS that make us crave high-calorie foods.

The new findings could explain why some people are forever dieting without losing weight. It could even pave the way for controversial weight-loss treatments that directly target brain chemicals. A British team at Imperial College London have been measuring the brain activity of volunteers when shown pictures of foods, from salads to doughnuts.

The research, to be published next week in the European Journal Of Neuroscience, shows that images of high-calorie foods activate powerful cravings in the brain of the viewer. Interestingly, studies have revealed obese and overweight people experience more powerful brain signals when they see high-calorie foods than those who are slim. So people who struggle with their weight may have brains that crave sugary foods above normal levels.

The scientists believe the findings may also explain why missing meals can actually make you GAIN weight and why some diets don't work. Dr Tony Goldstone, from Imperial College London, explains: "Our studies show that when we miss a meal our brains crave high-calorie foods over healthy foods like salad. "This makes it difficult to lose weight when you skip meals or reduce food intake because your brain is working against you."

Dr Goldstone blames weight problems on the caveman part of our brains.

He says: "Our studies show our bodies are built to defend themselves. Unfortunately, over time we evolved to see sugary and fatty foods as appealing because in periods of starvation these would save us." But will the scientists be able to transform their findings into treatments that could help us shed the pounds?  One extreme way to treat severe cases of obesity may be to stimulate the brain with surgically implanted probes. This method is already used to alleviate the symptoms of Parkinson's Disease.

A less drastic approach, says Dr Goldstone, is to tweak our brain chemicals to stifle hunger. He says: "We could look at reducing our brain's preference for high-calorie foods, so a doughnut is no more appealing than a salad."

But are some of us really born with fat brains?

Dr Goldstone says obesity is a complex issue but some people are naturally inclined to crave fatty food. He says: "Genetics may predispose people to getting more or less reward from food and environmental factors in the womb can influence the risk of diabetes and obesity in later life." However, he warns that our brains are probably just one factor among many that contribute to obesity.

Catherine Collins, chief dietician at St George's Hospital, London, agrees.

She says: "Food cravings are based on a wide range of factors - this research gives us clues but is only part of the picture. "There are some people who eat healthily but are still overweight. It proves we are still a long way from solving the obesity crisis."  Leading obesity expert Dr Susan Jebb from Cambridge University says brain research is transforming the way we tackle obesity.

She says: "There is now no doubt that the drive in some people to eat is greater than in others. If you are someone with a very powerful appetite drive in your brain then it's going to be harder for you to control your weight because you have to over-ride this biological drive. "To develop better treatments, we now need to develop a 'circuit map' of the brain to better understand how our brains are wired. One of the challenges for drug treatment is to find out what happens when you turn off one of these hunger pathways. Will another one become stronger to compensate?