Weight Gain Cast as a Result of Neural Damage
Hopefully you don't need more reasons to eat a sensible diet by now, but here's another. EurekAlert! passes on a theory to account for what happens to those of us who load up the carbohydrates over the years: "key appetite control cells in the human brain degenerate over time, causing increased hunger and potentially weight-gain as we grow older ... appetite-suppressing cells are attacked by free radicals after eating and [the] degeneration is more significant following meals rich in carbohydrates and sugars ... People in the age group of 25 to 50 are most at risk. The neurons that tell people in the crucial age range not to over-eat are being killed-off. ... When the stomach is empty, it triggers the ghrelin hormone that notifies the brain that we are hungry. When we are full, a set of neurons known as POMCs kick in. ... However, free radicals created naturally in the body attack the POMC neurons. This process causes the neurons to degenerate over time, affecting our judgement as to when our hunger is satisfied ... The free radicals also try to attack the hunger neurons, but these are protected by the uncoupling protein 2 (UCP2)." So eat more over the years and suffer neural damage that makes it harder not to eat more. We all have free will, but why make it harder for yourself?
Link: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-08/mu-kc082108.php