Why can some people eat a piece of pie and stop, while others can't stop until the plate is empty? Let us reassure you – you are not alone, and it's not all your fault. Increasingly, research shows that obesity doesn't just start on the plate, but in our brains. Yes, you read it right – in our brains!

When Insulin Loses Its Compass

Let's start with the hormone we call insulin. Its name is mainly known to people with diabetes, but it's actually important for all of us. Insulin helps the body store the sugar we consume in cells, providing us with energy. However, if the body no longer responds properly to insulin – a condition known as insulin resistance – sugar starts to stay in the blood, we begin to gain weight, feel tired, and a vicious cycle of problems slowly begins.

Experts at the clinic in the German city of Tübingen found that just a few days of indulging in processed food significantly affects brain function. To be clear – processed food includes anything that comes from boxes, bags, plastic: chips, sausages, ready meals, cookies, drinks with artificial sweeteners... Anything with more than five ingredients, most of which are not real food.

Researchers divided 29 healthy men into two groups. One group ate normally, while the other group consumed an additional 1500 calories of processed food alongside their usual meals for five days. That's about one big Big Mac meal with a sweet drink every day. Five days in a row.

Result? Just after these few days, the brains of these individuals began to lose sensitivity to insulin. And this is no joke. Under normal conditions, insulin in the brain helps suppress hunger. This means that the brain detects when we are full and we stop eating. But if the brain no longer detects this signal correctly, it doesn't happen. And we keep eating, even when we're already full.

Why This Is Important for You Too

Sometimes we hear: Just eat less and move more! But it's not always that simple. If your brain no longer recognizes fullness, then you're trapped in a physical battle that is very difficult to win. The most frightening aspect of this research is that the brain changes persisted even a week after the participants returned to a healthy diet.

This means that every excursion into the dietary wilderness leaves traces. Not only on the scale but in the brain. What's even worse – similar changes have previously been seen only in people who have been obese for a long time. Now we know that brain mechanisms can start to deteriorate after just a few days of poor eating.

Eye-Opening Statistics

According to the World Health Organization, there are now more than 1 billion people in the world who are overweight, with 650 million of them being obese. This is no longer a personal issue, it's a global crisis. In Europe, according to OECD data (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development), as many as 60% of adults are overweight, and in some countries, such as Hungary, Turkey, and the United Kingdom, the numbers exceed 70%.

In Slovenia, according to the National Institute of Public Health (NIJZ) data, nearly 58% of adults are overweight, with 20% of men and 17% of women already obese (BMI over 30).

By the way, BMI stands for body mass index. You calculate it by dividing your weight in kilograms by the square of your height in meters. For example, if you weigh 80 kg and are 1.75 m tall, your BMI is 80 / (1.75{-15694}) = 26.1. Which means – you're very close to the obesity threshold.

Folk Medicine Has Known This for a Long Time

The old saying goes: Obesity comes through the mouth but stays in the head. Today, science confirms this. In traditional practices, people have known for centuries about plants and habits that help the body cleanse and find balance.

For example, nettle, which promotes the liver and kidney function – the main cleansers of the body. Or dandelion root, which has the power to boost digestion and purify the blood. All these plants are not just folklore – modern studies confirm their effects. For instance, dandelion extract, according to a 2018 study (published in the journal Nutrition Research), can help reduce body fat in people with metabolic syndrome.

Bitters from wormwood, centaury, and yarrow were also considered "digestive aids" in folk medicine. When digestion works well, weight management becomes easier. But this is not a solution if we don't understand that the brain plays a crucial role.

What Does This Mean for You?

It's no longer just about what you eat. It's about what your brain perceives as hunger and how it reacts to sugar, fat, and processed food. Insulin, which is supposed to maintain balance, becomes a "blind guide" under the wrong conditions. If your brain no longer follows it, then we lose our compass – not just in diet but also in well-being, memory, and motivation.

This brings us to another important point: poor insulin sensitivity in the brain is also associated with a higher risk of dementia, Alzheimer's disease, and depression. In the United States, researchers at Johns Hopkins University found that people with insulin resistance have a 40% higher risk of developing dementia in later years. So, insulin doesn't just affect the pancreas and blood sugar levels, but also memory, mood, and decision-making ability.

What You Can Do Starting Today

The remedy isn't in tablets but in everyday habits. Ensure that your meals are simple, fresh, full of fiber, vegetables, good fats, and natural flavors. Avoid "ready-made" meals because they don't fill you up – they only confuse the brain. Make every meal an occasion, not a rush. And if possible, occasionally include homemade teas like nettle, dandelion, or yarrow in your diet to help maintain balance.

Exercise is crucial, not just for burning calories but also because it improves brain function. A daily 30-minute walk can increase brain insulin sensitivity by more than 20%, according to the American Diabetes Association research.

And lastly – get good sleep. Poor sleep disrupts hunger and fullness hormones. After just one night of inadequate sleep, ghrelin levels (hunger hormone) rise, while leptin levels (fullness hormone) drop. It's a biochemical catastrophe. No wonder we raid the fridge in the morning.

Let's Conclude with a Thought: Obesity doesn't begin on the scale but in the head. And that's where the solution must also start.