Gary Brecka explains why junk food cravings aren't about willpower. Dynorphins, endogenous opioids in your brain, bind to kappa receptors that control hunger and make you crave processed foods. These same receptors regulate how your body processes energy and manages weight.
We all know that our favorite fast foods or processed snacks are bad for us, but for some reason, we keep going back to them. It turns out there might be a small, silent chemical reason for that. It's a special group of chemicals called dynorphins. So what exactly do dynorphins do? They latch onto what are called kappa opioid receptors. These receptors are sprinkled all over the brain, including areas that are very involved in reward and feeding. These areas are control centers for when and why we eat. Dynofins aren't floating around aimlessly. They help regulate how much we want to eat and even how our body handles energy once that food gets inside. Dynofins play a targeted and specific role in triggering appetite without being involved in other behaviors. This tells us that diner fins are more involved than only making us hungry. They also play a part in how the body controls weight metabolism and how efficiently energy is used from food.
