Can you really be addicted to food? Researchers reveal compelling similarities to drug addiction

People often joke that their favorite snack is “like crack” or call themselves “chocoholics” jokingly.

But can someone really be addicted to food in the same way they might be addicted to substances like alcohol or nicotine?

As one psychiatrist and addiction researcher with experience in the treatment of eating disorders and obesity, I have been following the research in this field for the last decades. I have written a Handbook of Food Addiction, Obesity, and Binge Eating Disordersand, most recently, a self-help book for people who have intense cravings and obsessions for certain foods.

While there is still some debate between psychologists and scientists, a consensus is emerging Food addiction is a real phenomenon. Hundreds of studies have confirmed this certain foods – often those that are high in sugar and highly processed – affect the brain and behavior some people likewise with other addictive substances such as nicotine.

However, many questions remain about which foods are addictive, which people are most vulnerable to this addiction, and why. There are also questions about how this condition compares to other substance addictions and whether the same treatments could work for patients struggling with any type of addiction.

How does addiction work?

THE neurobiological mechanisms of addiction have been mapped through decades of laboratory research using neuroimaging and cognitive neuroscience approaches.

Studies show that pre-existing genetics and environmental factors set the stage for development of addiction. Regular consumption of an addictive substance subsequently rewires many important brain systemsleading the person to crave more and more of it.

This rewiring takes place in three basic brain networks corresponding to key functional areaswhich is often referred to as the reward system, the stress response system and the system responsible for executive control.

First, using an addictive substance causes the release of a chemical messenger called dopamine in the reward network, which makes the user feel good. Dopamine release also facilitates a neurobiological process called conditioningwhich is basically a neural learning process that leads to habit formation.

As a result of the conditioning process, sensory cues associated with the substance begin to appear increasing influence on decision-making and behaviorwhich often leads to cravings. For example, due to conditioning, the sight of a needle may lead a person to abandon their commitment to stop using an injection drug and return to it.

Second, continued use of an addictive substance over time affects the emotional or stress response network of the brain. The user’s body and mind build up a tolerance, meaning they need increasing amounts of the substance to feel its effect. The neurochemicals involved in this process are different from those that mediate habit formation and include a chemical messenger called noradrenaline and internally produced opioids such as endorphins. If they stop using the substance, they will experience withdrawal symptomswhich can range from irritability and nausea to paranoia and seizures.

At that point, negative reinforcement enters. This is the process by which a person keeps returning to a substance because they have learned that using the substance not only feels good, but also relieves negative feelings. During withdrawal from a substance, people experience profound emotional distress, including sadness and irritability. Negative reinforcement is why someone trying to quit smoking, for example, will be at the highest risk of relapse in the week immediately after quitting and during times of stress, because in the past they would normally turn to cigarettes for relief.

Third, excessive use of most addictive substances progressively damages the brain’s executive control network, the prefrontal cortexand other key parts of the brain involved in impulse control and self-regulation. Over time, damage to these areas makes it increasingly difficult for the user to control their behavior around these substances. This is why it is so difficult for long-term users of many addictive substances to quit smoking.

What evidence is there that food is addictive?

Many studies over the past 25 years have shown this foods high in sugar and other highly pleasurable foods – frequent meals which are overprocessed – act on these brain networks in such ways similar to other addictive substances. The resulting changes in the brain fuel further craving and overuse of the substance – in this case, highly rewarding food.

Clinical studies have shown that people with an addictive relationship with food demonstrate the characteristic signs of a substance use disorder.

Studies also indicate that for some people, cravings for highly palatable foods far exceed normal cravings for a snack and are, in fact, signs of addictive behavior. A study found that cues associated with highly pleasurable foods activate reward centers in the brain and the degree of activation predicts weight gain. In other words, the more power the food cue has to grab a person’s attention, the more likely they are to succumb to cravings for it.

Multiple studies have also found that the sudden end a a diet that is high in sugar can cause deprivationsimilar to when people stop opioids or nicotine.

It has also been found that excessive exposure to foods high in sugar they reduce cognitive function and cause damage in the prefrontal cortex and hippocampusthe parts of the brain that mediate executive control and memory.

In another study, when obese subjects were exposed to food and told resist their craving for it ignoring it or thinking about something else, their prefrontal cortex was more active compared to non-obese people. This shows that it was more difficult for the obese group to fight their cravings.

Finding safe treatments for patients who struggle with eating

Addiction recovery is often centered on the idea that the fastest way to get well is to stay away from the problem substance. But unlike nicotine or drugs, food is something that all humans need to survive, so quitting cold turkey is not an option.

In addition, eating disorders such as bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder often occur alongside addictive consumption. Most psychologists and psychiatrists believe that these diseases have their root cause excessive dietary restriction.

For this reason, many eating disorder treatment professionals balk at the idea of ​​labeling certain foods as addictive. They worry that encouraging abstinence from certain foods could cause overeating and extreme diets to compensate.

A way forward

But others argue that, with caution, incorporating food addiction approaches into eating disorder treatment it is possible and could be a lifesaver for some.

The emerging consensus around this link excites researchers and those who treat eating disorders consider food addiction in their treatment models.

Such an approach might look like the one he described to me by the addiction psychiatrist and specialist in eating disorders Dr. Kim Dennis. In keeping with traditional eating disorder treatment, the nutritionists at her clinic strongly discourage their patients from restricting calories. At the same time, in line with traditional addiction treatment, they help their patients consider significantly reducing or completely abstaining from specific foods with which they have developed an addictive relationship.

Additional clinical studies hectare already running. However, in the future, more studies are needed to help clinicians find the most effective treatments for people with food addiction.

Efforts are in progress by teams of psychologists, psychiatrists, neuroscientists and mental health providers to suffer from ‘hyper-processed food use disorder’, also known as food addiction, in future editions of diagnostic manuals like the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders and the World Health Organization International Classification of Diseases.

In addition to recognizing what food addiction treaters are already seeing in the field, this would help researchers obtain funding for additional food addiction treatment studies. With more information about which treatments will work best for whom, those with these problems will no longer have to suffer in silence, and providers will be better equipped to help them.

Claire WilcoxAddiction Psychiatrist and Auxiliary School, University of New Mexico

This article is republished from The Conversation with a Creative Commons license. Read it original article.