Hormonal
Short-term selective dietary fat restriction (30% calorie reduction) decreases dopamine D2/3 receptor binding potential and neural activity in brain reward regions, leading to increased selection of high-fat, high-carbohydrate foods.
If you are on a low-fat diet, you may find yourself craving high-fat, high-carb foods more intensely. This is likely due to changes in your brain's dopamine system, not just hunger. Be aware that this biological shift can make sticking to a low-fat diet harder, even if you feel satiated by the food itself.
On the fifth day of dietary fat restriction, but not carbohydrate restriction, both D2BP and neural activity to food cues were decreased in brain-reward regions. After the reduced-fat diet, ad libitum intake shifted toward foods high in both fat and carbohydrates.
Why this rating
Randomized crossover design with PET/fMRI imaging in a controlled metabolic ward setting, though sample size is small (n=17).
Source
Dietary fat restriction affects brain reward regions in a randomized crossover trial
Valerie L. Darcey et al. · JCI Insight · 2023
DOI 10.1172/jci.insight.169759
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