Brain response to high-calorie foods greater in children with obesity

ORLANDO, Fla. — Brain response to images of high-calorie foods after consuming a test meal was greater in children with obesity vs. children of normal weight, suggesting a blunted central satiety response in the brain of those with excess body weight, according to study findings presented here.

“Compared with lean children, obese children have different brain responses to high-calorie food cues, ie, a greater activation by palatable food cues in brain regions that regulate reward and appetite,” Christian L. Roth, MD, professor of pediatrics at the University of Washington, told Endocrine Today. “Such responses might reflect greater attention to or appeal of highly palatable food after eating — a factor which could place children at risk for overeating.”

Christian L. Roth

Roth and colleagues analyzed data from 34 children with obesity (mean age, 10 years; 41% girls; mean BMI z score, 2.16) and 21 normal-weight children (mean age, 11 years; 48% girls; mean BMI z score, –0.11) who underwent functional MRI scans while viewing images of high-calorie and low-calorie foods and non-food objects. After viewing the images, children consumed a test meal estimated at 33% of daily caloric needs and underwent a second functional MRI scan. All children were offered an ad libitum buffet meal after the second scan to test satiety.

Researchers assessed mean parameter estimates for high-calorie vs. low-calorie foods from regions of the brain involved in satiety processing, including the ventral and dorsal striatum, the amygdala, insula and medial orbitofrontal cortex, and calculated a global average of brain activation for each child.

Researchers observed differences in brain activation between children with and without obesity. Children with obesity experienced greater activation in the ventral striatum when viewing high-calorie foods vs. children of normal weight (mean score, 7.8 vs. –5.2; P = .055). After consuming the test meal, global brain activation was higher in children with obesity vs. children of normal weight (mean global score, 7 vs. –7.3; P = .046).

Researchers also observed a relationship between global brain activation and BMI z score (beta = 6.9; P = .02). In regional analyses, researchers found the association between global brain activation and BMI z score was present in the insula (beta = 7.3; P = .03) and dorsal striatum (beta = 4.8; P = .04).

During the ad libitum buffet, children with obesity consumed more calories vs. children of normal weight (mean, 1,202 kcal vs. 771 kcal); however, macronutrient choices and consumption based on percentage of weight-based estimated daily caloric needs were similar.

“Interventions based on behavioral strategies need to address this susceptibility,” Roth said. “Future treatment trials need to test which interventions are suited to reverse the greater activation by palatable food cues in obese children.” – by Regina Schaffer

Reference:

Roth C, et al. MON-542. Presented at: The Endocrine Society Annual Meeting; April 1-4, 2017; Orlando, Fla.

Disclosures: Roth reports no relevant financial disclosures.