When ‘food porn’ holds no allure

Researchers from the University of British Columbia have shed light on why enticing pictures of food affect us less when we’re full.

Researchers from the University of British Columbia have shed light on why enticing pictures of food affect us less when we’re full.

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“We’ve known that insulin plays a role in telling us we’re satiated after eating, but the mechanism by which this happens is unclear,” said Stephanie Borgland, the study’s senior author.

In the new study, Borgland and colleagues found that insulin prompted by a sweetened, high-fat meal affects the ventral tegmental area (VTA) of the brain, which is responsible for reward-seeking behaviour.

When insulin was applied to the VTA in mice, they no longer gravitated towards environments where food had been offered.