PET Scans Reveal SHOCKING Food Revelation
By
Dr. Scott Olson, ND
Posted November 23, 2023
Happy Thanksgiving! I hope your day is filled with food, family, and fun.
The LAST thing I want to do is put a damper on today’s festivities. But on a food-focused holiday like today, I can’t help but think about our relationship with food these days.
We know more about HOW to eat to stay healthy than we ever have before. And yet, we’re getting sicker and unhealthier with each passing year.
A recent study sheds a bright light on one of the biggest reasons why.
And spoiler alert…the decline is NOT our fault…
Researchers recently decided to figure out what the sugary, ultra-processed foods—that have become a staple of the Western diet—are doing to our brains.
They gave volunteers milkshakes with different amounts of sugar. The volunteers then had PET scans of their brains done. And what the scientists saw was rather shocking.
The very low-sugar milkshake did nothing to the brains of the volunteers. The low-sugar milkshake produced the same results…. no effect.
But all bets were off with the high-sugar milkshakes. When THEY hit, the volunteer’s brains lit up like Christmas trees.
But it gets even crazier. The researchers immediately recognized the PARTS of the brain that were lighting up in response to the high-sugar food…
They’re the exact SAME areas that are activated when people take addictive drugs like cocaine and heroin!
In other words, eating more sugar caused similar brain responses to those seen when people abuse drugs.
It’s just one more piece of evidence to add to a growing stack proving that some foods, ESPECIALLY those high in sugar, fat, and salt, can be essentially “addictive.”
There are reasons to be worried about what this means.
For one thing, these results give a brain-based explanation for overeating and bingeing, which can be very hard to control. Because, although it’s not a chemical addiction that can cause dangerous withdrawal symptoms, some aspects of it ARE similar.
For example, someone addicted to crack cocaine who is always desperate for their next hit and folks who are “addicted” to food may all be stuck in a compulsive loop of strong cravings and overindulgences.
Our brains and bodies seem incapable of resisting the siren call of sugar, fat, and salt in LETHAL combinations. We may need an intervention to break free of Big Food’s irresistible concoctions.
P.S. The food industry’s dirty little secret is REVEALED!
Source:
Carnell S, et al., “Milkshake Acutely Stimulates Dopamine Release in Ventral and Dorsal Striatum in Healthy-Weight Individuals and Patients with Severe Obesity Undergoing Bariatric Surgery: A Pilot Study.” Nutrients. 2023; 15(12):2671.
Written By Dr. Scott Olson, ND
Nearly 25 years ago, failed mainstream medical treatments left Dr. Olson in constant pain – and his health in ruins. And that’s when he did something REVOLUTIONARY. He began his career in medicine – and dedicated his life to uncovering the true, underlying causes of disease.
Through his innovative medical practices in Tennessee and Colorado, Dr. Olson has helped cure countless seniors from across America of arthritis… heart disease… diabetes… and even cancer. All without risky prescription drugs or painful surgeries.
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