Daily fat intake is associated with basolateral amygdala response to high-calorie food cues and appetite for high-calorie food

ABSTRACT

Objectives:

Animal studies have indicated that fat intake mediates amygdala activation, which in turn promotes fat intake, while amygdala activation increases the preference for fat and leads to increased fat intake. However, the association among fat intake, amygdala activation, and appetite for high-calorie foods in humans remains unclear. Thus, to examine this association, we conducted a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) experiment.

Methods:

Fifty healthy-weight adults (18 females; mean age: 22.9 ± 3.02 years) were included. Participants were shown images of high-calorie and low-calorie foods and were instructed to rate their desire to eat the food items during fMRI. All participants provided information on their daily fat intake using a self-reported questionnaire. Associations among fat intake, the desire to eat high-calorie or low-calorie food items, and amygdala responses to food items were examined.

Results:

The basolateral amygdala (BLA) response was positively associated with fat intake ([x, y, z] = [24, −6, −16], z = 3.91, p_{FWE-corrected} = 0.007) and the desire to eat high-calorie food items ([26, −4, −16], z = 3.75, p_{FWE-corrected} = 0.010). Structural equation modeling showed that the desire for high-calorie food items was predicted by BLA response to high-calorie food items (p = 0.013, β = 3.176), and BLA response was predicted by fat intake (p < 0.001, β = 0.026).

Discussion:

Fat intake influences BLA response to high-fat food, which in turn increases the desire to eat palatable high-fat food. This may lead to additional fat intake and increase the risk of weight gain.

KEYWORDS:

• Basolateral amygdala
• functional magnetic resonance imaging
• fat intake
• appetite for high-calorie food
• eating behavior

Acknowledgements

We thank the participants for their time and our research team for their dedication to data collection.

Data availability statement

The data described in the article, codebook, and analytical code are made available upon request.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This study was supported by a Lotte Research Promotion Grant and a Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C) (KAKENHI) (grant number 19K11715).

Notes on contributors

Yuko Nakamura

Yuko Nakamura is an Assistant Professor at the Center for Evolutionary Cognitive Sciences, Graduate School of Art and Sciences, The University of Tokyo. Her research focuses on the effects of psychological and nutritional factors on eating behaviors.

Shinsuke Koike

Shinsuke Koike is an Assistant Professor at the Center for Evolutionary Cognitive Sciences, Graduate School of Art and Sciences, The University of Tokyo. He is a psychiatrist and an expert in epidemiological studies.