Here is a great article about research that shows how palmitic acid and saturated fat may increase insulin resistance, which is a symptom of pre-diabetes, and may be one of the main causes that leads to obesity.

Ice cream may target the brain before your hips

Dr. Deborah Clegg and colleagues suggest that fat molecules from certain foods can change brain chemistry in a very short period, causing appetite-suppressing signals to be ignored.

DALLAS — Sept. 14, 2009 — Blame your brain for sabotaging your efforts to get back on track after splurging on an extra scoop of ice cream or that second burger during Friday night’s football game.

Findings from a new UT Southwestern Medical Center study suggest that fat from certain foods we eat makes its way to the brain. Once there, the fat molecules cause the brain to send messages to the body’s cells, warning them to ignore the appetite-suppressing signals from leptin and insulin, hormones involved in weight regulation. Read more…