The Reasons Behind Your Inability to Quit Eating Sweets, Even When You're Full
- M.R. Grigsby
- Apr 9
- 3 min read
Updated: Apr 20
Nancy, Kentucky -- Michael R. Grigsby, April 6, 2025 7:00 AM EST
You know how you have room for one taste of dessert after finishing a meal, but as soon as the delicacy reaches your lips, you start to feel hungry? Willpower may not have anything to do with your hunger. It is the chemistry of your brain. Highly palatable food is enjoyable and may result in extended consumption, potentially leading to overeating and obesity.
According to recent studies, published in dopamine may suppress your body's natural "I am full" signal, making eating for enjoyment rather than hunger more straightforward.
Researchers examined how the brain strikes a balance between eating for pleasure (hedonic eating) and eating for your body's energy demands (homeostatic eating). They concentrated on two conflicting forces: neurons carrying GLP-1R (glucagon-like peptide-1 receptors), which generally indicate fullness and decreased food intake, and dopamine neurons, which fuel the urge to eat.
You may be familiar with GLP-1, the hormone triggered in the new weight-loss medications Wegovy and Ozempic. These drugs work well because they control blood sugar and appetite in ways that diet and exercise alone cannot.
Your dopamine circuit increases and inhibits your satiety signals when you are eating. Thus, your brain continues to tell you, "Keep going, this is delicious," even when you are full.
The mice the researchers used to study these circuits devoured less high-fat, high-sugar food when dopamine neurons were blocked, although the same food was still available. To put it another way, a spike in dopamine, which is provided by your favorite dessert, reduces the activity of GLP-1R neurons, which typically inhibit appetite. Hence, the temptation to indulge in dessert, followed by the realization that it is tasty, may cause you to overeat.
What does this signify for your general health, then?
It validates what many of us already know: pleasure-driven eating and cravings are more than just a matter of self-control. They are caused by brain circuits that deliberately work against the satiety system in your body.
Nevertheless, you are responsible for controlling your appetite whether you have self-control or not. Working with, rather than against, your biology:
• Pay attention to foods that trigger feelings of fullness, such as those that are high in fiber and protein.
• To allow satiety hormones to function before dopamine takes over, eat slowly (at least 20 minutes per meal).
• Avoid dessert if you know it is problematic or eat it in moderation to avoid becoming a dopamine victim. It is not a sign of weakness if you find yourself eating when you are not hungry; instead, it is your brain's reward system functioning as it should.
When cravings strike, knowing how dopamine and hunger systems interact might help you make better choices and lessen the shame that frequently follows.
Reference:
Zhenggang Zhu et al. , Hedonic eating is controlled by dopamine neurons that oppose GLP-1R satiety. Science 387, eadt 0773 (2025).DOI:10.1126/science.adt0773
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