本期节目中，神经科学家Stephan Guyenet深入剖析了肥胖的生理机制，探讨了遗传、大脑和激素如瘦素在脂肪质量调节中的作用。他详细比较了两种常见的肥胖理论——碳水化合物-胰岛素模型和能量平衡模型，并分享了对现代食品设计的见解，以及如何利用大脑对体重调节的知识来维持健康体重。

🧠 Stephan Guyenet的神经科学背景及其对肥胖细微之处的专注，为我们提供了深入理解肥胖的新视角。

📉 肥胖在人类历史上的变化，以及近几十年来肥胖率急剧上升的可能原因，揭示了社会环境对体重的影响。

🍽️ 饮食的享乐方面，以及大脑对现代高奖赏食物的反应，解释了为何我们难以抗拒某些食物。

🧬 遗传因素在肥胖中的作用，以及人类储存脂肪的进化倾向，帮助我们理解肥胖的生物学基础。

🔬 瘦素激素在肥胖中的角色，以及下丘脑如何影响体重调节，为我们提供了肥胖研究的科学依据。

📊 能量平衡模型和碳水化合物-胰岛素模型的比较，以及如何将这些理论统一到肥胖研究中，为理解体重增加提供了证据。

🎯 对于想要减肥并保持体重的人来说，Stephan提供了基于大脑调节机制的实用建议。

View the Show Notes Page for This Episode

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Stephan Guyenet is a neuroscientist focused on the neuroscience of obesity and energy homeostasis.  He is the author of the book, The Hungry Brain and founder/director of Red Pen Reviews. In this episode, Stephan explains how obesity has changed phenotypically over the course of human history as well as what might explain the dramatic increase in prevalence of obesity in the last few decades. He talks in depth about the role of genetics, the brain, and hormones like leptin play in the regulation of fat mass. He dives deep into two common theories of obesity—the carbohydrate-insulin model and the energy balance model and provides his take on which theory has stronger evidence. Additionally, he provides insights on how we’re hard-wired to think about food and the consequences of modern foods designed for maximal pleasure. Finally, he goes through the factors that affect body weight, set points, and provides takeaways for people wanting to take advantage of what we know about the brain’s role in regulating our body weight.

We discuss:

• Stephan’s neuroscience background and his focus on the nuances of obesity [2:15];
• How obesity has changed for humans throughout history [8:00];
• The association between obesity and adverse health outcomes, the “obesity paradox,” and confounders when relating BMI to longevity [14:00];
• The sharp increase in obesity across demographics [23:30];
• The hypothalamus and its role in obesity [30:00]; 
• The role of the hormone leptin in obesity [40:00];
• The genetic component of obesity [46:30];
• Understanding the tendency of humans to store fat through an evolutionary lens [57:00];  
• The hedonic aspect of food, and how the brain reacts to modern, highly-rewarding foods [1:03:30];
• How we are hard-wired to think about food [1:14:30];
• A review of the “Carnivore diet” [1:21:45];
• The energy balance model, carbohydrate-insulin model, and unifying the theories around adiposity [1:34:15];
• Body weight set points: a hypothetical comparison of two individuals [1:41:45];
• Takeaways for people who want to lose weight and keep it off [1:48:30];
• Evidence that favors the energy balance model of weight gain [1:56:00];
• The synergistic effect of fat and carbohydrates and observations that a low-fat diet or a low-carb diet can cause weight loss [2:04:30];
• Red Pen Reviews [2:11:00];
• More.

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