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While we are already aware of the changes that high fat diet can make on our exterior appearance, scientists have found that it can also alter certain parts of the brain responsible for regulating appetite and energy expenditure. This in turn, determines our weight.

According to researchers at the University of Aberdeen Rowett Institute for Nutrition and Health, high fat can hamper the regulation of appetite and energy expenditure, causing weight gain.

The findings of this study might explain why obese people find it difficult to lose weight and then again struggle to maintain their weight loss.

For a study conducted on mice, researchers fed them a diet rich in saturated fat and sugar for over 16 weeks, where 60% of their energy came from saturated fat. These mice were then compared with mice that were fed a normal diet during the same period.

Also, scientists studied the genes and proteins in the hypothalamus of their brain (responsible for the regulation of appetite and energy expenditure).

Their findings revealed that mice on high fat diet had experienced a change in  genetic and protein composition which indicated damage. Also, these changes had taken place very fast--within a matter of weeks.

"The hypothalamus is a small area at the base of the brain containing neurones that control the amount of food we eat and the energy we expend," Dr Lynda Williams, Obesity and Metabolic Health Group Leader, at the Rowett said.

"However this control breaks down in obesity - the system appears not to work - and we don't really know why this happens. In our study we found that genes and proteins changed in response to a high fat diet and that these changes are normally associated with damage in the brain, indicating that damage had occurred in the hypothalamus in mice that ate a diet high in saturated fat."

"We instinctively know that eating a diet high in saturated fat and sugar will lead to overweight and obesity. Our results indicate that a high fat diet can damage the areas of the brain that control energy balance and perpetuate the development of obesity. High fat and high sugar foods are energy dense foods which are highly palatable and they are very easy to overeat .Our findings may also explain why some overweight people find it difficult to diet and why weight loss after dieting is so difficult to maintain. We now plan to carry out further studies that will look at whether these effects are reversible."

Dr Williams further stipulates that a fatty diet would be a cause of concern only if taken for prolonged periods. However, such foods consumed occasionally is not a problem.

"The key is to avoid excessive weight gain and to eat sensibly in the first place. We all deserve a treat now and then. I certainly enjoy an unhealthy treat," she added.