Hormonal
Mild hypoglycemia (a transient drop in circulating glucose) activates limbic-striatal brain regions and increases the desire for high-calorie foods, while euglycemia activates the medial prefrontal cortex to exert inhibitory control over food motivation.
If you experience strong cravings for junk food a few hours after eating, it may be due to a drop in blood sugar (hypoglycemia) rather than just the food itself. To reduce these cravings, consider strategies that prevent sharp drops in glucose, such as eating smaller, more frequent meals or choosing foods that stabilize blood sugar, especially if you are in an environment with lots of food cues.
mild hypoglycemia preferentially activates limbic-striatal brain regions in response to food cues to produce a greater desire for high-calorie foods. In contrast, euglycemia preferentially activated the medial prefrontal cortex and resulted in less interest in food stimuli.
Why this rating
Controlled human fMRI study with metabolic clamping, though small sample size (n=21).
Source
Circulating glucose levels modulate neural control of desire for high-calorie foods in humans
Kathleen A. Page et al. · Journal of Clinical Investigation · 2011
DOI 10.1172/jci57873
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