The desire trap: discover its biochemistry and the link with glycaemia and osteoporosis

How often do you find yourself wanting something, but after you have achieved it, you immediately feel a sense of dissatisfaction? Or, are you never satisfied with what you get and always want more?

Do you recognise yourself in this description? Then this article is for you!

Let’s begin by defining what the ‘reward circuit’ is: this circuit that is activated whenever we want to achieve something that is supposed to happen in the future. This means that we can only achieve our goal by implementing a set of actions that are more complex than simply reaching out to grab something directly. The same principle applies to both objects and abstract things.

Whenever we are driven to want to achieve something, dopamine, a tiny molecule produced by L-tyrosine, comes into play by inhibiting the activation of molecules and neurotransmitters that characterise the ability to focus on the present. Examples of these molecules are: serotonin, oxytocin, endorphins and endocannabinoids (which I might talk about in another article).

There is therefore an antagonism between the molecules that allow us to live in the present and those that project us into the future. In fact, if dopamine levels are high and someone close to us embraces us, endorphins are released and dopamine production is stopped, bringing us back to the present moment. On the other hand, the release of dopamine blocks the production of several hormones, including prolactin.

The problem with dopamine is that it makes us dependent; in fact, the more it is produced, the more our bodies need it. When its levels are too high, in the presence of oxygen and ascorbic acid, norepinephrine is produced (in the brain), which is called epinephrine or adrenaline, when it is released throughout the body.

This neurotransmitter causes dilation of the bronchi, increased calcium permeability with the consequent increase in water retention and pressure. It also leads to a rise in heart rate and blood flow in the muscles, liver, myocardium and brain, but above all, it causes high concentration of blood sugar and insulin.

But wait, do you think that's it?

Actually, here we are missing the last piece, so let's introduce cortisol, which is derived from cholesterol, a key lipid for the constitution of the cell membrane, the myelin sheath, and essential for embryonic development and cell division. Surely, you have already heard of LDL and HDL. These are the plasma lipoproteins that ‘contain’ cholesterol, which is produced in peripheral tissues and the liver from acetyl-CoA, and in the intestines from dietary and endogenous cholesterol. This much-discussed lipid is the precursor to vitamin D and testosterone depending on the biochemical pathway it follows. But not only that, cortisol is produced from it in response to the pituitary hormone ACTH, activated by adrenalin and regulated by the hypothalamus.

Cortisol production has a very important effect on our organism:

•  It implies a decrease in collagen synthesis, accelerating osteoporosis;

•  It correlates with the conversion of proteins into glucose;

•  It causes an increase in heart rate and an increase in inflammatory reactions;

•  It plays a key role in reducing immune defences and managing glycaemic balances;

Desire, therefore, conditions our neurochemistry; in fact, when we want to achieve a goal, we have to prepare ourselves mentally and physically, so we need energy (sugar) to reason and act.

The current problem is that we are overwhelmed by events that tease our reward circuit, such as surprises, gifts, goals to be achieved, so much so that we forget to live in the present. We live under constant stress to always push ourselves a little further, until we find ourselves as if in a trap.

The good news is that it is possible to get out of it with a little effort and perseverance, freeing yourself from the overproduction of dopamine and learning to focus on the present.

If you want more information, feel free to contact me at my email or by filling out the form on the website.

I hope you enjoyed this article and found it interesting.

Did you know all these aspects related to desire?

Let me know by commenting on this article.

I wish you a good day.

See you soon,

Arianna