March 26, 2025 – Here’s something that might surprise you: People with obesity aren’t driven to eat more because they find junk foods especially pleasurable. It’s actually the opposite. They tend to enjoy food less than people within a healthy weight range do.
But what if helping people enjoy eating more could lead them to lose weight? That’s exactly what researchers are exploring.
Over time, eating a consistently high-fat diet trains the brain to see indulgent foods as less satisfying. Lab experiments by scientists at the University of California Berkeley suggest that restoring levels of a protein called neurotensin can rehabilitate the brain’s reward center to once again react to indulgent foods.
The study, published today in the journal Nature, was only done in mice, but it reveals important opportunities for exploring new obesity treatments.
“Our findings suggest that restoring the pleasure of eating – not suppressing it – may help people eat more intentionally and avoid falling into habitual patterns,” said senior author Stephan Lammel, PhD, an associate professor of neurobiology at UC Berkeley. “Tuning into your enjoyment (or lack thereof) when you eat can offer real insight into your relationship with food.”
Flipping the Script on Ozempic
Lammel and colleagues have uncovered a brain mechanism that could pave the way for an obesity treatment that works in a radically different way than the current superstar GLP-1 medicines (such as Ozempic and Wegovy), which curb appetite.
“Pleasure plays a critical evolutionary role – it motivates us to eat,” Lammel said. “But when that pleasure is disrupted, we might fall into unhealthy patterns like eating out of habit or boredom instead of genuine enjoyment. Ironically, this can lead to overeating, not because we crave the food more, but because the brain’s reward system isn’t working properly.”
Mice and humans share many of the same brain circuits and brain chemistry that would apply to such a treatment approach, he said, making the new findings particularly promising. In the experiments, mice whose neurotensin levels were restored were less likely to overeat.
“Many breakthroughs in obesity treatment – including the development of GLP-1 receptor agonists like semaglutide – have their roots in rodent studies,” Lammel said. (Semaglutide is the generic name for Ozempic and Wegovy.)
Is Your Brain’s Reward Center Lighting Up Properly When You Eat?
It’s not possible to know for sure, but “there are clues,” Lammel said. “If you find yourself eating without really tasting or enjoying the food, or if you’re reaching for snacks even when you’re not hungry or satisfied, it might reflect changes in your brain’s reward response.”
Try these tips:
- Ask yourself mid-meal: Am I still enjoying this? “Being aware of your pleasure – or the absence of it – can help you pause and make more intentional food choices,” Lammel said. “It might also signal when it’s time to reevaluate your habits or seek support.”
- Notice your cravings and examine whether they’re driven by pleasure or routine. For example, do you need a snack every time you watch TV?
- Pay attention to when you feel satisfied, not just full.
“This research reminds us that food is not just fuel – it’s deeply connected to emotion, motivation, and pleasure,” Lammel said. “We hope our findings encourage people to reflect on their own relationship with food.”
If you want to put the power of pleasure into your meals, a few simple strategies can help, Lammel said. Choose foods you find not just enjoyable but also nourishing. Experiment with healthy ingredients in recipes you love. And slow down while eating to savor flavors and textures.
“Our study offers a message of hope: If your relationship with food feels out of sync – if you’re eating without pleasure or struggling with overeating – it may not be about willpower. These patterns often reflect real, biological changes in the brain,” Lammel said. “And the good news is that these changes might be reversible. By better understanding the brain’s role in eating, we can reduce stigma and move toward treatments that are rooted in compassion and science.”