The Brain and Obesity: Are We Wired to Eat More? | Stephan Guyenet, PhD | The Proof Podcast EP
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- Опубліковано 28 тра 2024
- In today’s world, many of us are struggling with being overworked, undernourished, and constantly stressed. Maintaining a healthy body weight is yet another challenge to stack on top of this, and for many, seems like an impossible task. As obesity rates rise and we are incessantly marketed a plethora of diets and weight loss solutions, it is difficult to navigate the path to better health.
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In Episode #260, I’m joined by Dr Stephan Guyenet, a highly respected researcher and expert in the field of hunger, weight loss, and obesity. Together, we delve into the science behind eating behaviours, obesity, and the reasons why losing weight and keeping it off can be so challenging.
In this episode, we explore the widespread issue of obesity and how the brain plays a crucial role in our eating behaviours. Dr Guyenet explains the biological and psychological factors that contribute to weight gain, and the challenges that people face when trying to lose weight and keep it off. We delve into the different types of eating, including homeostatic and non-homeostatic eating, and how they influence our consumption of calories.
TIMESTAMPS:
00:00 - Intro
01:36 - From neurodegenerative disease to obesity neuroscience
10:38 - The holiday weight gain
14:37 - The problem with excess fat
26:06 - 'Personal fat threshold' and diabetes
31:26 - Main drivers of type 2 diabetes
38:55 - The role of the hypothalamus in weight gain
47:29 - Homeostatic vs. non-homeostatic eating
56:50 - Genetics and the obesity epidemic
1:00:21 - Models of obesity: carbohydrate-insulin vs. energy balance
1:10:25 - The brain and obesity
1:19:39 - The protein-leverage hypothesis
1:24:19 - Carbohydrates, fat, and the Mediterranean diet
1:30:22 - The weight loss puzzle: low carb vs. low fat diet
1:38:36 - Foods that promote satiety on fewer calories
1:43:19 - GLP-1 agonists
1:55:17 - Is weight loss largely dependent on exercise?
1:58:51 - Physical activity vs sedentary lifestyle
2:02:00 - Mental health and sleep
2:05:20 - Expert advice on how to stop overeating
2:07:05 - Outro
Dr Guyenet also sheds light on the importance of controlling our food environment and the reasons behind excess calorie consumption. We discuss various strategies for weight loss, from the impact of diet and exercise to Semaglutide and GLP-1 agonists. Throughout our conversation, Dr Guyenet shares practical advice and evidence-based insights to help listeners better understand the complexities of weight management and make informed choices about their health.
As obesity and weight management continue to be such prevalent issues, I hope this conversation with Dr Guyenet has provided valuable insights and practical strategies that you can apply to your own life or share with your loved ones. Thank you for joining me on *The Proof*’s journey towards better health and well-being for ourselves and our broader communities.
Connect with Dr Stephan Guyenet:
- Twitter: / sguyenet
- Website: www.stephanguyenet.com/
- Book: www.stephanguyenet.com/thehun...
- Red Pen Reviews: www.redpenreviews.org/
If you have any additional questions you would like answered in the future, let me know in the comments.
The best way to support the show is to use the products and services offered by our sponsors. To check them out, and enjoy great savings, visit theproof.com/friends.
Enjoy, friends.
Simon
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Okay, I'm only 20 minutes in, but it has it to be said. The person who made that quilt behind the guest has an immaculate grasp of color. Holy crap. I don't even like quilts/quilting, but I'd put that on my wall too. That is art. That thing is gorgeous.
@@TheProofWithSimonHill
I need a new monitor as I cannot differentiate your background from your hair and shirt. Just a disembodied face. Quilt is awesome.
My interpretation is that the artist painted the fabrics as well. I agree: it's gorgeous.
You should have a better appreciation of quilts and quilting. I could never because I don't have the wherewithall to put one together. But they are all works of art.
Dr. Guyanet is the BEST !
Dr. Guyenet
Thanks SO much for giving Dr Guyenet a platform to talk about his work. His book The Hungry Brain taught me so so much. Loved your questions, Simon!
Wow. Energy poisoning... never heard it described in such precise and interconnected system
Its fascinating for me to think about what drives someone towards certain foods.
What factors like sleep, prefrontal cortex strength, feeling energetic (whatever summation of processes that is), gut microbiome health, emotional health, trauma, and more play a significant role in what foods a person ends up eating?
I've noticed on days where I wake up feeling fatigued, my cravings for sugar increase dramatically. Additionally, when I'm feeling stressed or need to do something I've been avoiding, I'll often walk to the kitchen pantry in search of something. If I do some journaling or emotional processing meditation, my sugar cravings decrease significantly.
Recently psychiatrist Dr. Kanojia did an excellent lecture on trauma and how that leads to fractured connections within the brain, and said people with trauma often are driven towards emotionally coping behaviors. So I'm very curious what role trauma plays role in obesity.
I've found that a glass of about 20 grams of fiber from psyllium husk, with cocoa powder and cinnamon for flavor, is a great intervention that increases my satiety and decreases cravings for sugar. This, in combination with a protein shakes, works well to fill me up.
I don’t really have a question or anything, but I just wanted to say thanks for having conversations like this! I've definitely been given a lot to think about.
Also, like others are saying, your questions are fantastic!
For a future guest, do you plan on having Dr. Chris Palmer at all? I think he would be interesting, if you happen to find his research and ideas compelling.
Additionally, Dr. Kanojia would also be great to have to discuss how someone can resolve the resistances that get in the way of eating healthier.
This is a very enlightening episode on the topic that adds new perspective!
Appreciate your efforts to put quality information such as this out to the public as always 🙏
I had borderline diabetes with a BMI of 27 and a 36 inch waist. I went on a diet, going to a 27 inch waist and a BMI of 21. I also became exceedingly active.
That was 4.5 years ago. I have remained at the same weight since, and my diabetes is still in remission.
Roy Taylor inspired my diet; I am glad you will have him as a guest.
Great episode guys! I was excited to see two of my favorite people in the same episode.
1:26:43 "When you are a hunter-gatherer and you don't have a kitchen..."
That is precisely what I do. Living in downtown Toronto, I am obviously not a hunter-gatherer, but my slogan is "eat foods, not recipes". As a result, I spend almost no time at all in the kitchen. I do have one, and I have equipment, but I basically lost all interest in it. My food life has become simple, serene, stress-free, I have lost about 50% of my highest weight (over 60 kg) and am keeping it off and I am saving quite a bit of time. It is great. For me, anyway.
Thank you Simon for this great interview with Stephen. I remember seeing a video where he’s interviewed by Dr. John McDougall many years ago. 😃👍
A great episode. I wonder: why doesn't excess energy consumption translate directly into energy available for daily activities? Overeating rarely makes you feel energized. On this note, would physical and mental energy and fatigue be something that would interest you as a podcast topic? Thanks.
I think evidence suggest that overeating leads to increases of non-exercise activity thermogenesis. In the short term you may be sedentary but later you compensate for it. Not sure however, if this is psychological ("guilt feelings"), physiological or perhaps both. Probably also depends which individuals we are talking about. Obese people may not have such effect.
17:00 minutes in: energy poisoning. Awesome concept.
I was just listening again to this conversation, and noticed this: 1:18:55 "bread and butter and jam"
I don't know how common this is, but I have always found this disgusting, while I loved the combination of bread and jam. OTOH, I do love the combination of bread, peanut butter and jam, which is something that was unavailable to us 50 years ago in Belgium.
All my grandparents, parents and siblings were overweight or obese and my genetic risk score for obesity using hundreds of GWAS variants for BMI put me at a 99% percentile for being overweight/obese. Simply put: my genetics means I have a very hungry brain. I am always hungry within 60 minutes of eating, whether it is fat, protein, fiber, low calorie dense foods. I eat a WFPB diet no sugar, oil or salt and still I have a BMI of 32. With intermittent fasting, exercise, weight training and my diet have normal blood pressure and not diabetic, but would love to loose 40-60 pounds for my joints. I maintain my current weight doing this, but cannot seem to loose. And keto, low carb I gain on (and feel terrible). I was able to try Tirzepatide, (brand name Mounjaro) for one month and it was a miracle. I felt full quickly. I stayed full for hours, my hungry brain went quiet. I easily lost 2 pounds a week, 8 pounds total. But since I am not diabetic and it is hard to fill the Rx without a T2DM diagnosis (and i cannot afford the huge price tag), I discontinued. Over the last 4 months I gained back the 8 pounds because I. am. hungry. all. the. time!
Everything Dr Guyenet says here about these GLP-1 agonist drugs are true. One thing he did not mention is another mechanism of action of these Rx is delayed gastric emptying time. That seemed the key for me. Without the meds my very efficient GI tract seems to digest food very quickly and send it on its way to the lower tract and I am hungry again. The Rx stopped this completely and I was able to feel full and satisfied for 4-6 hours which was simply a miracle. I did have some mild quesiness the first day of each weekly injection and fewer stools (but only took the lowest initial dose of 2.5 mg...maybe higher doses would have been less well tolerated).
All you can do is to love the suck, and deal with the constant hunger without intervention.
Your questions are always spot on. I know of no other channel that is as good at asking the right questions as yours. Thank you.
Thanks for this. I find it highly amusing how there isn't still a solid understanding of any of this.
It seems that the types of foods you eat control your setpoint (speaking only from personal experience). I know when I'm eating lots of fiber from whole foods and including good plant protein sources my weight comes off naturally without any hunger. So the feedback seems to be related to the kinds of foods which supports the idea that the environment has changed. This kind of diet leads to better blood sugar control and fewer spikes amont many other things that affect all the feedback cycles that decide the set point I guess.
And I’ve lost about 85 lbs eating low-carb, and not feeling hungry at all. I was a carb addict. For me, what’s worked is no sugar, grains, (obviously no highly processed foods) and as little omega 6 seed oil in my diet as possible. I don’t eat any keto junk foods either. I do still eat fruit. Like I say, carb addict! So my focus is fish, meat, dairy, eggs, non-starchy vegetables, olive oil, some beans and nuts, and finally fruit. Fruit and nuts are like candy to me. Everything else I can eat without the temptation to eat until the food is gone. Oh, and I intermittent fast because I’m just not hungry at breakfast. I finish eating before 5:00 most days too.
This is my exp too
Great interview - thanks much!
Great info. Enjoyed this interview.
Great interview as usual!
Is it still the case that most 'low fat' diets that have been studied are really moderate fat (~ 30%) diets?
I have always wondered if there is something in the brain that is different for those who crave savory vs sweet foods. I have friends that love sweets but for me it is crispy savory foods.
I feel old. I’ve been following Stephan online for about 15 years. 😮
Great interview. My first time meeting this person. Thanks
@1h9m; If government (the people) doesn't control the food supply, then corporations will, as they have. The back end of this process, in the US, is a bloated overpriced medical system dealing with diseases of excess. Thanks for this great episode!
Very interesting episode
Although I am still planning to lose my excess 25 pounds that I gained over the last 6 months (trying to 'bulk'), it does seem that the training is providing some health protection. I am 66, I had my A1C tested and it was a reasonable 5.4 with plenty of carbohydrate in the diet. I am doing 1, 2, even 3 hour walks in addition to a modest amount of resistance training. Having said that, I think I will keep any future 'bulks' to a very minimal amount.
Maybe our strongest desire is not for protein, maybe it's for the amino acids which is in the protein we eat. The fastest way to access and assimilate amino acids is through eating protein. It's a way to get your amino acids faster. I personally don't strive for protein, I think it makes excess mass cells and cyst in people so I don't care for it. I eat the recommended minimum amount for my size and weight.
Superb conversation 🫡
This was so incredibly interesting Simon A big thank you to you and your host. A few things came to mind that I hope you can raise with other hosts you have in the future
(1) With some people more easily gaining weight or finding it easier or harder to lose weight, I wonder how much this is impacted by a combination of exercise, NEAT(Non Exercise Activity Thermogenesis), and Thermogenic Activity Of Certain Foods via digestion.
(2) As far as exercise, and I know this was more about fat loss and gain, but what comes to mind is the overall metabolic and potential blood marker improvements that result from exercise. I have seen much information that cites such studies and why everyone should exercise. Something as simple as walking or cloaking 10000 steps is deemed to have very positive health benefits on long term hard health outcomes, all things being equal. Interestingly, I know Professor Roy Taylor, whom you will be interviweing when asked about importance of exercise Re: his diabetes remission research, cautioned exercise can actually cause people to overconsume food as studies have shown. This makes sense in the context of such a hypercaloric diet that he had people follow
Finally as a side, I have hear Layne Norton in an Interview with Thomas Delaurer suggest that the best diet for body building may not necessarily be the best for best long term hard health outcomes. This seemed to be the point of greatest agreement between both.Having said that, I believe you can have the best of both worlds if you play your macro and micro cards right. Sometimes I see extremes on both sides on social media. Some people purely focus on micro nutrients only and don’t pay much attention to macros or calories consumed. Others go to the extreme of focusing on macro nutrients only with what I consider “dirty” flexible dieting. This may get them to the goal of building an aesthetically body or losing signicant weight but it may have grave long term hard health outcomes. I have heard that with all things being equal even in a calorie maintenance or hypocaloric state, rapid accumulation of visceral fat was observed if the fats and calories were mostly based on transfats and hyperpalitable ultraprocessed foods.
We need low fat vs low carb with junk food (ultraprocessed) taken out. So far only DIETFITS has done this. We need lots of followups to tease out the implications for weight loss.
Great Video!!
People will always agree when someone says something they want to hear..
Microbiome determines whats bedt to est? Dr Tim Spector, Zoe.
Hi simon, I have a question related to your book. In it you mention that coffee could be an excellent source of antioxidants. What about instant coffee? That the same rules apply?
In the tropics they also have seasons of abundance and seasons of famine. This idea that food is available year round in the tropics is wrong.
Fruits are not available the whole year. In the stores they are, but that's recent. I know people who grew up in the Amazon forest before the 70s, and they had times of the year where they ate lots of fruits, and in the other parts of the year, it was a lot more fish. Not much fruit.
Not true, im brazilian and there are different fruits and vegetables in different seasons all year round (not talking on supermarket, but production in farms)
@@Rachel_2112 Yes, farms now are able to produce year round. I was talking about people living in the forests getting fruits from the forests, not from big farms.
Before 70 years ago, that was what it was like. I know people who grew up back then in the state of Para. They had seasonal foods. Some months were low in fruits and they ate more fish.
More ultra processed Garbohydrates?
Is dairy yogurt skyr low fat unhealthy? Dr greger and Bernard speaking of dairy is bad?
43% adults with actual obesity? That is BMI 30 or more. By the way, according to the new surgical guidelines, anyone with BMI 35, even otherwise seemingly metabolically healthy, qualifies for bariatric/metabolic surgery. And some fools still talk about "obesity prevention". Give us Mounjaro worldwide, we need those 26% of bodyweight off😁
Put a running wheel in a rat cage they volunteer to run every day. Put a treadmill in a human bedroom it becomes a clothes rack. 😂
I was thinking about that. It seems we humans have come up with all sorts of ways to adequately engage our minds and release dopamine that we don't bother with a more difficult method of getting it. It the absence of any distractions, would we volunteer to use the treadmill?
I'm on waterfasting at day 33 and there is strange phenomena happened. My heart problems and epileptic twists at moment of falling sleep are no more present. Same thing is in case of heartburn when going to sleep. I will change non existent muscles any moment to this progress. There was noting to lose. So I was like not fat looking but I felt bad because I know I have absolutely no muscles under that fat layer. So the project was about going from 83kg 30% fat to 68kg 15% of fat. These numbers are approximate. Fat really can shape a body like visceral structure. For example I have belly starting to come out from the cavity very easily and that is my problem when "normal" weight. When I chose to start being skinny belly cavity starts to hold organs and support them as is meant to be.
It is so sad health care personnel are not allowed to support me being healthier and feeling better because of their offcial position as "low fat", "keep insulin resistance" food industry propaganda outlets.
Are we primarily tropical animals? I don’t think so. Not now, not since millions of years ago. I’m listening, but it seems like Stephen Guyanet’s ideas are based on a false premise.
He can’t make up his mind. He says no not CIM, then later says CIM is very much on the table as a contributor.
Let’s pretend it’s not capitalism that would most stridently oppose a change free in food advertising and production and create the political impossibility. 😂
Give people 20 hour work weeks and they’ll learn to cook. Make farm to kitchen the model.
Simon, you deserve an award for getting something or another from this dude. I have never heard a podcast where the guest was so lacking in, well, just lacking
Was it over your head?
Ever heard of evolution? How the hell do you think we got here without being wired to eat more than we need when food is a plentyful. Talk about common sense and it's not being rocket science.