Researchers have found a link between the brain chemistry and overeating. They say that junk food, with a lot of sugar and fat, actually tricks the brain into wanting more food.

According to the researchers, junk food can muddle the brain’s satiety-control mechanism. This sends the appetite into hyperdrive, leading to what Michael Lowe, a clinical psychologist at Drexel University, called "hedonic hunger" (a powerful desire for food in the absence of any need for it). This new approach to understanding hunger and the consequent weight gain has been described by Lowe as “shifting the focus to pleasure.”

“A lot of overeating, maybe all of the eating people do beyond their energy needs, is based on consuming some of our most palatable foods. And I think this approach has already had an influence on obesity treatment,” said Lowe in the Scientific American.

Lowe said that doctors can decide the most appropriate course of treatment for obesity by ascertaining its primary cause. The study helps doctors in determining whether obesity is a result of emotional craving or a fault in the body’s ability to burn up calories, reports the Scientific American.

“For most of our history the challenge for human beings was getting enough to eat to avoid starvation,” said Lowe. “But for many of us the modern world has replaced that with a very different challenge: avoiding eating more than we need so we don't gain weight.”

Interestingly, a study in November 2015 suggests the opposite. Researchers found no relationship between junk food and body mass index (BMI) for a majority of individuals, including those who are overweight, reports the Boston Globe.

The study was led by David Just, a professor of applied economics and management at Cornell University.

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