April 7, 2023 – A brand new study of the brains of obese and obese people suggests that future weight reduction treatments should keep in mind whether someone is male or female.
MRI studies have revealed gender differences within the structure and performance of the brains of obese and obese people. For example, researchers found evidence within the brains of obese women that they’re more vulnerable to cravings for highly processed foods and have the next risk of food addiction than men.
“We believe this has tremendous implications for treatment. We need to consider emotion regulation techniques, mood and vulnerability factors in women that may not be such relevant variables when implementing obesity interventions in men,” said researcher Arpana Gupta, PhD, on Twitter. Gupta is a brain, obesity and microbiome researcher at UCLA.
Published on Tuesday within the magazine Brain communicationThe study compared brain MRIs and health questionnaire data from 183 people aged 18 to 55. The researchers compared the people by each their weight status and their gender. People were considered obese or obese in the event that they Body mass index (BMI) over 25. (BMI is a calculation based on weight and height.)
The researchers used three different MRI methods to review the structure and functioning of the participants' brains. This information was then used to develop a system that may analyze MRI data from a single person and successfully predict obesity status or gender.
The resulting model was successful in at the least 75% of cases, suggesting to researchers that there are significant gender differences within the brains of obese and obese people.
Past mental health problems or childhood trauma were also linked to the differences revealed by the MRIs that affected people's relationship with food.
The study couldn’t determine whether the brain differences seen within the MRIs were present before weight gain or whether the changes occurred during or after weight gain.