Posts Tagged ‘impulsive behavior’

There is a study that shows type-2 diabetics have poor impulse control. Researchers writing in BioMed Central’s open access journal BioPsycho Social Medicine, suggested that neurological changes result in this inability to resist temptation, which in turn exacerbates diabetes.

Hiroaki Kumano, from Waseda University, Japan, worked with a team of researchers to assess response inhibition, a measure of self-control, in 27 patients with type-2 diabetes and 27 healthy controls. He said, “Patients with type 2 diabetes are required to make strict daily decisions; for example, they should resist the temptation of high-fat, high-calorie food, which is frequently cued by specific people, places and events. Appropriate behavior modification thus depends on the patients ability to inhibit impulsive thoughts and actions cued by these environmental stimuli”.

In order to gauge the patients’ ability to resist such impulsive behavior, the researchers used a test in which participants had to quickly press a button in response to the correct signal on a computer screen, while pressing the button in response to the wrong symbol counted against their score. They found that patients with diabetes performed significantly worse at the test, suggesting that they struggled to control the impulse to press the button. Other results showed that the inhibitory failure observed in diabetic patients was mainly explained by cognitive impairment of impulse control, rather than by deficits in motor performance, error monitoring and adjustment. According to Kumano, “This suggests the possibility that the neuropsychological deficits in response inhibition may contribute to the behavioral problems leading to chronic lifestyle-related diseases, such as type 2 diabetes”.

Really

Previous generations did not have all the chronic conditions that American’s face today. These studies are similar to a dog chasing his tale. We are going in circles, without understanding the problem. Any amount of neurological damage can occur because of the poor diet being shoved down our throats.

People who are overweight already have an impulse problem. The most common one stems from poor glucose regulation, and poor nutrition. Cravings are set up by the food giants, and now we can study the effects and blame the victim.

Question

Which came first poor impulse control or a poor diet that changed hormones, cells, gene expression, and brain circuitry. Again, it is a question of which came first the chicken or the egg. Science in the 21^st century is chasing their tail at our expense.

Looking at every and any angle of why type-2 diabetics haven’t enough control in front of food is alright, if you ask the right questions. Extending it to impulse behavior that effects other things would make sense, if the whole population wasn’t heading down the same path.

Then the question becomes why is the entire population at risk, including the very young.

Sense and Cents

These studies really don’t make sense. I really would like to see more productive use of the funds that are being used for this so-called research.

Taking a look at our food supply might be a good start. People in this country are nutrient deficient while on a high calorie diet. A good part of the population is undernourished and overweight. All studies are being conducting on people who are not operating at their optimate level. In that case many functions will be frequently out of whack.

Whack rhymes with quack, and I see quack science searching for all the capabilities lost to an American diet. With all the research the solution remains elusive.