When the lateral hypothalamus is damaged, our brain reduces food and water intake. This can cause certain disorders or illnesses, such as anorexia.

Damage to the hypothalamus that causes undereating

When the ventromedial hypothalamus is damaged, our body experiences uncontrollable hunger and obesity.

Damage to the hypothalamus can also cause overeating tendencies.

The hypothalamus can cause issues with under- and overeating. The lateral and ventromedial nuclei in this region aid in the regulation of food intake and functioning.  This allows our brain to control the onset and termination of eating. However, damage done to this region can cause our body to stop eating too early or too late.

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Emotional eating is described as the act of eating excessive amounts of hyper-palatable  energy-dense foods. These foods have large quantities of sugars and fats and often eaten to aid against one's negative emotions.  

Emotional Eating

Fuente González, C. E., Chávez-Servín, J. L., de la Torre-Carbot, K., Ronquillo González, D., Aguilera Barreiro, M. L. Á., & Ojeda Navarro, L. R. (2022). Relationship between Emotional Eating, Consumption of Hyperpalatable Energy-Dense Foods, and Indicators of Nutritional Status: A Systematic Review. Journal of obesity, 2022, 4243868. https://doi.org/10.1155/2022/4243868

Relationship between Emotional Eating, Consumption of Hyperpalatable Energy-Dense Foods, and Indicators of Nutritional Status: A Systematic Review

Certain articles say that emotional eating may be done in cases where the person eating is experiencing positive emotions. This needs to be studied more but is interesting since most articles surrounding the topic of emotional eating tend to focus on the negative emotions associated with this act. 

Can there be instances of emotional eating in positive circumstances?

Emotional eating involves consuming excessive amounts of hyper-palatable energy-dense foods. This can be problematic because these foods can result in:
-increase in body weight (which may lead to obesity)
-other associated diseases.

Consequences of Emotional Eating

Certain foods, like processed or refined foods, cause negative chemical imbalances in the brain. This is because our brain has difficulty getting rid of these additional chemicals. Side affects from these sugars and other ingredients include inflammation, oxidative stress, and even worsened symptoms from mood disorders.

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