Insulin Releases 'Happy' Chemicals, Study Finds

To diabetics, insulin is normally a hormone to be reckoned with.

Yet it plays a larger role than just blood sugar control, a recent study reveals.

Researchers from NYU Langone Medical Center found that the more insulin that is in the brain, the more dopamine is released - the latter of which is the brain's "pleasure" chemical.

The study, according to lead investigator Dr. Margaret Rice, affirms that increased insulin levels can lead to higher dopamine levels, and also explains why food choices may be influenced when these chemicals are working in tandem.

Low-calorie vs. high-calorie diets

Rice and her team conducted a series of experiments on rats, one of which found a 20- to 55-percent increase in dopamine in conjunction with a rise in insulin activity after eating.

Another experiment involved feeding the rats either a low-calorie or a high-calorie diet. Rats on the low-calorie diet had a 10-fold greater sensitivity to rising insulin levels - meaning dopamine was released more quickly than in rats eating a normal diet.

Rats eating a high-calorie diet, in contrast, had no such responsiveness.

"Our work establishes what we believe is a new role for insulin as part of the brain's reward system and suggests that rodents, and presumably people, may choose to consume high-carb or low-fat meals that release more insulin - all to heighten dopamine release," Rice said.

Rice next plans to study how insulin can influence motivation and control around food, and whether insulin sensitivity changes due to weight gain or obesity can be reversed or prevented.

"If our future experiments prove successful, it could confirm our hypothesis that when people refer to an insulin-glucose rush, they may really be referring to a dopamine reward rush. And there are healthy ways to get that by making smart food choices."

Source: NYU Langone Medical Center
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