Cited by 122Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on BehaviorRegulation of Appetite and ObesityEating Disorders and Behaviors

Frequent ice cream consumption is associated with reduced striatal response to receipt of an ice cream–based milkshake

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Burger, Kyle S, Stice, Eric·2012·The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition

Abstract

Background Weight gain leads to reduced reward-region responsivity to energy-dense food receipt, and consumption of an energy-dense diet compared with an isocaloric, low-energy-density diet leads to reduced dopamine receptors. Furthermore, phasic dopamine signaling to palatable food receipt decreases after repeated intake of that food, which collectively suggests that frequent intake of an energy-dense food may reduce striatal response to receipt of that food.Objective We tested the hypothesis that frequent ice cream consumption would be associated with reduced activation in reward-related brain regions (eg, striatum) in response to receipt of an ice cream-based milkshake and examined the influence of adipose tissue and the specificity of this relation.Design Healthy-weight adolescents (n = 151) underwent fMRI during receipt of a milkshake and during receipt of a tasteless solution. Percentage body fat, reported food intake, and food craving and liking were assessed.Results Milkshake receipt robustly activated the striatal regions, yet frequent ice cream consumption was associated with a reduced response to milkshake receipt in these reward-related brain regions. Percentage body fat, total energy intake, percentage of energy from fat and sugar, and intake of other energy-dense foods were not related to the neural response to milkshake receipt.Conclusions Our results provide novel evidence that frequent consumption of ice cream, independent of body fat, is related to a reduction in reward-region responsivity in humans, paralleling the tolerance observed in drug addiction. Data also imply that intake of a particular energy-dense food results in attenuated reward-region responsivity specifically to that food, which suggests that sensory aspects of eating and reward learning may drive the specificity.

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Crossref · 10.3945/ajcn.111.027003

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  • Healthy human volunteers show robust striatal activation upon receipt of a milkshake, and frequent ice cream consumption blunts striatal responses.

    “healthy human volunteers show robust striatal activation upon receipt of a milkshake, and that frequent ice cream consumption blunts the striatal responses (46).”

    From Obesity and addiction: Neurobiological overlaps (2013) · cites this paper as [46]

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Authors
Burger, K. S., & Stice, E.
Affiliations
Oregon Research Institute (US)
Corresponding author
Burger, Kyle S
Venue
The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2012-04
Volume
95
Issue
4
Pages
810-817
ISSN
0002-9165 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2107839640
Cited by
122
References
44
Citations by year
2026: 3 · 2025: 4 · 2024: 5 · 2023: 5 · 2022: 11 · 2021: 5 · 2020: 8 · 2019: 7 · 2018: 13 · 2017: 11 · 2016: 11 · 2015: 13 · 2014: 10 · 2013: 11 · 2012: 5
FWCI
5.14
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (publishedVersion)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
  • University of Oregon
  • National Institutes of Health
  • National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (DK080760, R01DK080760)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Endocrine and Autonomic Systems › Regulation of Appetite and Obesity
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Eating Disorders and Behaviors
Keywords
ice cream consumption, energy-dense foods, food reward, dietary intake, food cravings, food liking, fat mass, adolescents, food tolerance, dopamine signaling
MeSH terms
Adolescent, Adolescent Behavior, Beverages, Energy Intake, Corpus Striatum, Diet, Dietary Carbohydrates, Dietary Fats, Feeding Behavior, Female, Food Preferences, Humans, Ice Cream, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Male, Neurons, Oregon, Organ Specificity, Reward, Sensation Disorders, Adiposity

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