Endorphins In Junk Food

There is a subset of people which when under immense pressure stop eating at all and loose weight but there is another subset of people which under stress or tension start eating two to three times more than usual and gain weight. In this second subset, the overeating stuff moves around sweets, sugar, chips or junk food, ultimately leading to obesity. We come across such situations when under stress there is a craving of a particular kind of food such as for sweet, chocolate, sugar candy, sauce or some spicy dishes. Once such food material is consumed, the person feels better, relaxed and happy for few hours. It has been speculated that such foods release endorphins in our body which makes us feel happier for some time and later when the levels

Milk and wheat proteins also act as endogenous endorphins as they can generate substances with opioid like activity. These substances have been termed "exorphins." Casomorphins are peptides with an opioid effect resulting from the digestion of milk protein casein. Additionally, endorphins influence feeding and satiety when injected in the hypothalamus and reinforce behavior when injected in the midbrain (Hobel, 1985). Endogenous opioids or opioid agonists (Benzodiazepines, Methadone, and Butorphanol Tartarate) enhance feeding, whereas nonspecific opioid antagonists (naloxone, naltrexone) suppress feeding (Levine et al., 1985). Naltrexone reduces the insulin response to glucose load, helps rectify metabolic imbalance and increases insulin clearance. Cholecystokinin is a neurotransmitter and also acts as an opiate antagonist. It is involved in digestive processes and the experience of satiety. Cholecystokinins obstruct the desire for food and act as a hunger suppressant. Sugars present in carbohydrates stimulate the production of excessive β-endorphins and stress-induced eating results in a positive feedback loop where the result is

PCOS, is an intricate genetic condition where the prevalence of obesity among women with PCOS is higher than that of age-matched, healthy women without this syndrome (Yildiz et al., 2008). They have characteristic features like hyperandrogenism, chronic oligo/ anovulation, central dysregulation of gonadotrophin secretion, obesity, hirsutism and menstrual abnormalities. β-endorphins in PCOS patients were detected in the pancreas and are responsible for the release of insulin and glucagons (Guido et al., 2006). The availability of insulin in excess causes elevated levels of androgen synthesis favoring hyperandrogenism in PCOS