STEPHAN J. GUYENET - Why as humans can't we stop eating so much?

The Joe Horton Show

Today I speak to author of the book “The Hungry Brain" , an expert in neurodegenerative disease and the neuroscience of body fatness, obesity and eating behaviour, Stephan J Guyenet PhD We all love food - lets admit it but for many of us life is a constant battle of staying fit and healthy at the same time as enjoying the foods we really like in moderation. Which is easier said than done given the sheer variety and amount of different foods available today at the dial of the phone or click of a mouse. But why can't we control our urge to eat, and where does this come from? In my conversation with Stephan we discuss: How energy is the key driver of human survival and why the human brain is inbuilt with systems that control how we go about getting the energy to survive Why in evolutionary terms the threat of getting not enough energy was greater than the threat of getting too much food. The way we are hardwired to acquire rather than expend energy How specific foods are more habit forming and addictive than others and why the food industry engineers them to be that way. Why Stephan believes that the obesity epidemic has gone so far in some countries that state intervention may be the only answer to curb this.