It is telling that most comfort foods are sugar or starch-based: cake, ice cream,

macaroni & cheese,

French fries, etc. (Few people, it seems, gravitate toward spinach or grilled ch
icken when they re
having a bad day.) Increases in post-prandial plasma insulin levels activate ins
ulin receptors in the
hypothalamus, which should provide negative feedback to appetite circuitry, resu
lting in feelings of
satiety and a decreased interest in eating more. Most of the brain s insulin comes
from the pancreas,
crossing the blood-brain barrier via active transport. However, it is now believ
ed that the brain,
itself, also produces some insulin. Regardless of the source of insulin in the b
rain, the cells
ability to respond to the hormone may ultimately play a role in feeding behavior
and obesity.