"Similar to Drug Addiction": Warnings from the Brain and Blood Vessels Caused by Carbohydrate Addiction

Seeking Yukgaejang and rice instead of salad on the dining table goes beyond simple gluttony and leads to red flags for health. According to the broadcast content reported by TV CHOSUN JOY, cases were introduced where individuals struggle to resist the temptation of carbohydrates and snacks even while deciding to diet. In particular, cases where appetite control is so difficult that a person secretly eats snacks hidden in their child's room emerged as an issue affecting not just simple habits, but also health and marital relationships.

The Brain of Carbohydrate Addiction, Resembling Drug Addiction

When carbohydrate intake is repeated, the brain shows strong addiction symptoms. According to the brain MRI photos presented in the video, the brain of someone addicted to carbohydrates showed a pattern very similar to the brain of someone addicted to drugs. In both cases, a characteristic is that the dopamine secretion areas of the brain are excessively activated. When carbohydrates quickly turn into sugar in the body and rapidly raise blood sugar levels, the brain secretes dopamine to feel the pleasure generated during this process, and as a result, the brain continuously craves carbohydrates.

The remaining excess glucose is stored in the liver and muscles in the form of glycogen through the action of insulin. However, when the storage warehouse is full, the remaining glucose is converted into fat and mainly accumulates in the abdomen. This accumulated visceral fat becomes a factor that threatens blood vessel health beyond simple weight gain.

Visceral Fat Creates 'Vessel Poison,' Increasing Diabetes Risk

Visceral fat itself acts as an 'inflammation mass' that secretes inflammatory substances. It is explained that these inflammatory substances can travel through the blood vessels and become 'vessel poison' that ruins vascular health. As visceral fat increases, hypertension and hyperlipidemia increase by 2 times, and metabolic syndrome increases by 4.1 times. In particular, it was found that when visceral fat increases by 1kg, the risk of developing diabetes increases by 2 times for men and up to 7 times for women. If weight increases by 5kg according to age, the risk of diabetes can soar up to 35 times.

Even the Icon of Yo-yo, Oprah Winfrey, Could Not Avoid Weight Changes

The biggest enemy of dieting is the yo-yo effect. According to research, 95% of the dieting population fails to maintain weight within 5 years, and 99% experience yo-yoing within 10 years. The case of global star Oprah Winfrey clearly demonstrates this. In 1988, she appeared on a broadcast holding a 30kg mass of fat herself to show how much fat she would lose, boasting her successful weight loss. At the time, she, who was 96kg before the diet, succeeded in reducing her weight to 65kg, but one year later, she experienced a yo-yo effect where her weight swelled to 113kg, heavier than before the diet, and was even called the 'icon of yo-yo.'

Ultimately, the success or failure of a diet lies not in short-term weight loss, but in finding habits that can be practiced every day in daily life. For a diet without yo-yoing, the key is to find a lifelong sustainable management method rather than temporary fasting.

Source: TVCHOSUN JOY (YouTube)