There is a question that has intrigued researchers for decades and helps explain why so many people genuinely struggle to resist certain foods, even when they rationally know they should stop. According to Lucas Peralles, a sports nutritionist and founder of the LP Method, the answer lies, in part, within the brain’s own reward circuitry, which responds to ultra-processed foods in a way that is structurally similar to how it reacts to substances historically associated with addiction.
Neuroimaging studies published in recent years have shown that highly palatable foods—rich in artificial combinations of sugar, fat, and salt—activate brain regions involved in reward and salience more intensely than minimally processed foods. In light of these findings, it becomes easier to understand why simply telling someone to rely on willpower, while they are repeatedly exposed to these stimuli, is often a strategy with limited success.
What Actually Happens in the Brain When We Eat Ultra-Processed Foods?
The brain’s reward system, particularly the mesolimbic pathway, releases dopamine in response to pleasurable stimuli, including foods high in sugar and fat. Recent reviews describe how repeated consumption of these foods may lead to adaptive changes in this circuit, including a reduction in dopamine receptor availability—a neurobiological pattern that has also been observed in substance addiction.
Interestingly, not every study confirms this mechanism in a straightforward way. A recent study published in Cell Metabolism, using positron emission tomography (PET) imaging, found no statistically significant relationship between the dopaminergic response to an ultra-processed milkshake and participants’ levels of body fat, suggesting that this response varies considerably among individuals. According to Lucas Peralles, this scientific nuance reinforces one of the central principles of the LP Method: avoiding oversimplified, one-size-fits-all explanations for a phenomenon that, in the clinical experience of Peralles Clinic, clearly differs from person to person.
Why Do Some Patients Develop a Pattern Similar to Food Addiction?
Theoretical models describe progressive stages of problematic relationships with ultra-processed foods, beginning with increased attention toward these foods and, in more advanced cases, evolving into compulsive consumption with an almost complete loss of control. This does not mean that every craving for sweets is pathological, but it helps distinguish when an eating pattern goes beyond simple preference and begins to resemble genuinely compulsive behavior.
In Lucas Peralles’ assessment, recognizing this spectrum is essential for tailoring treatment according to the severity of each case. Treating someone in an advanced stage of this relationship the same way one would address an ordinary food preference often leads to frustration and frequent relapses. This is one of the reasons why the initial evaluation at Peralles Clinic carefully investigates each patient’s history and relationship with specific food groups before any nutritional prescription is made.
Does This Mean Patients Have No Control Over Their Choices?
Although neuroscience explains an important part of the phenomenon, it does not mean that people are completely at the mercy of their brains. In other words, understanding the biological mechanisms behind intense food cravings is meant to guide more effective strategies—not to justify abandoning personal efforts toward change.
As Lucas Peralles explains, the difference between an effective treatment plan and a generic diet lies precisely in recognizing these neurobiological triggers and working collaboratively with the patient to develop specific strategies that reduce exposure to these stimuli without relying exclusively on sheer willpower. At the same time, the founder of the LP Method emphasizes that simple environmental changes—such as reducing the constant availability of ultra-processed foods at home—can significantly lessen the burden placed on the brain’s reward circuitry.
How Does This Understanding Transform the Clinical Approach to Weight Loss?
Understanding the neuroscientific foundation of the relationship between the brain and food helps explain why so many patients report repeated feelings of failure when trying to control, through conscious willpower alone, behaviors driven by deeply ingrained neural circuits. This perspective does not remove personal responsibility but instead shifts the focus of treatment toward more realistic and sustainable strategies.
This understanding is directly connected to the behavior change pillar of the LP Method. For Lucas Peralles, treating obesity and compulsive eating requires combining science, empathy, and clinical practice—an approach that the experience accumulated at Peralles Clinic reinforces with every new patient who finally discovers a coherent explanation for a pattern that once seemed like nothing more than a personal weakness.
