Are Bad Habits Hijacking Your Brain and Wrecking PCOS Weight Control? Part 2
Yesterday we explained that addictive behavior like eating high carb food can “hijack” your brain’s reward system, which is why you may find it difficult to control your weight for better management of your PCOS symptoms.
Dopaminergic pathways linked to pleasure connect your limbic system, which is responsible for emotion, with your hippocampus, which is responsible for memory.
The combination etches rewarding behaviors into the brain with strong, even seductive, memories. Advances in neuro-imaging have enabled researchers to peer inside the brains of addicts and patients with addictive behavior. They can see, in real-time, how their brains’ reward system, based largely on the pleasure neurotransmitter dopamine, thirsts for more. At the same time, control centers which curb craving experience a system failure.
The pattern is similar across all kinds of behaviors – from cocaine and tobacco addiction to overeating. That’s why altering the brain’s neural machinery, so you can change your mind about pursuing bad eating habits, may be your first step toward losing weight and enjoying vastly improved PCOS health.
