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High-fat diet alters the dopamine and opioid systems: effects across development

International Journal of Obesity Supplements volume 2, pages S25–S28 (2012)Cite this article

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Abstract

Consumption of a high-fat diet has been linked to obesity, dyslipidemia and cardiovascular disease. Less well appreciated are adverse effects on the brain and behavior. Recent research has shown that consumption of a high-fat diet can alter gene expression within the brain, and the dopamine and opioid neurotransmitter systems appear to be vulnerable to dysregulation. This review will focus on recent reports in both humans and animal models that describe adverse effects of high-fat diet consumption on the central reward circuitry. In addition, the importance of different development windows will be discussed, with effects observed in both the prenatal/perinatal time period and with chronic high-fat diet consumption in adulthood.

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Acknowledgements

Dr Reyes is supported by grants from NIH (MH087978 and MH091372), as well as a NARSAD Young Investigator Award.

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  1. Department of Pharmacology, Institute for Translational Medicine and Therapeutics, University of Pennsylvania, School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    T M Reyes

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Correspondence to T M Reyes.

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This article was published as part of a supplement funded with an unrestricted educational contribution from Desjardins Sécurité Financière.

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Reyes, T. High-fat diet alters the dopamine and opioid systems: effects across development. Int J Obes Supp 2 (Suppl 2), S25–S28 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1038/ijosup.2012.18

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