Do you believe in food addiction?

SpencersHeart

in to read later

Polishprinsezz

i will always be addicted to food always. i think about food all the time. i love how food tastes,smells, looks. i overeat because i love food. i was deprived as a child. i was grossly underweight til i got a job at 16 and could buy my own food. of course it is an addiction but it is the hardest addiction beat as you need food to live. learning self control and better eating habits is the only way you are going to get this demon in control. i will always have the urge to overeat. it is the hardest thing i have put my mind to overcome.

Pudding1980

For sure, because I am.

GOINSTD12

Again, I think people can have issues here and very real problems...but "problem" doesn't necessarily equate to "addiction."
[/quote]

HA, very well put, I agree with this statement. About food addictions.... well, I don't know. What I do know is that it takes work and perserverance and determination to break the habits that got us into that situation in the first place. It doesn't really matter if it's an addiction or just a really bad habit. The cure is the same. Change the bad habit into a good habit. Yes, it might hurt some to change our behavior and our wants and desires, but isn't the reward worth it? Notice I am putting myself into the equation here - I am by no means above or beyond this problem. I have MANY bad habits that must be changed, and my health and well-being depend on me stepping up and putting in the work to make those changes. So to those of you on either side of the fence, what say we shake hands and agree to disagree on the definition of the problem, and work on a solution to it instead.

knra_grl

these threads always turn to discussions of sugar…so before it even happens don't come in here and say you cut out all sugar but still eat fruit and honey ….please for the love of god do not do this!!!!!!!!!!!!

I thought they always turned into discussions about drug and alcohol addictions :huh:

SrJoben

Here is a link to an article that explains how some of the additives in food, trigger the same site in the brain that causes euphoria, and the same response that is triggered by meth and heroin... Interesting.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/16/junk-food_n_4043980.html

That is a statement so misleading it should be a criminal offense. Practically everything activates those areas.

ninerbuff

Here is a link to an article that explains how some of the additives in food, trigger the same site in the brain that causes euphoria, and the same response that is triggered by meth and heroin... Interesting.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/16/junk-food_n_4043980.html

But the same can be said for dancing, skydiving, driving fast, etc. and I doubt those would be considered addictions.

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LizDiazPlus3

NO
If a drug addict stops using drugs, are they cured of the addiction? What if they just do less of the drug or just do the drugs occasionally, are they still considered an addict?

Can someone addicted to food quit eating, will they be cured of their addiction? What if they eat less or just eat occasionally, are they still considered an addict? How can a food addiction be broken?

loved this way of putting it.

suejoker

I know some people think that you cannot be addicted to food because it is essential for survival and not something you can quit , but I 100% believe that sugary, fatty, and salty junk foods are addictive.
What do you think?

I think any behavior can become compulsive, eating included. I think that eating can become people's main coping mechanism, too. Are some foods more likely to draw compulsive overeaters? Probably. I never crave broccoli, after a break up.

I've been in recovery from alcoholism and drug addiction for 26 years. My 2nd sponsor told me that she "never woke up next to someone she didn't know, because she ate too many chocolate chip cookies", minimizing eating as a coping mechanism or compulsive behavior. At the time, I laughed, because I was probably 120 pounds. Now that I'm morbidly obese, I have a different perspective. I think that for me, overeating sugar, fat & salt, is a big problem. I'm now in recovery from using these substances to cope with life's difficulties. Will I slip or relapse? I don't know. Some people say relapse is a normal part of recovery. Whatever happens, I'm not giving up, as I have in the past. I have to face the fact that for the past 13 years, my relationship with food has been very unhealthy and my lifespan will probably be much shorter if I don't change my behavior.

Thanks for asking the question. It made me think and I'll enjoy reading other people's respectful posts.

eldamiano

I believe in food addiction as an excuse for being overweight. 'It's not me, it's the addiction'.

As a medical status, however, this is make-believe.

eldamiano

i will always be addicted to food always. i think about food all the time. i love how food tastes,smells, looks. i overeat because i love food. i was deprived as a child. i was grossly underweight til i got a job at 16 and could buy my own food. of course it is an addiction but it is the hardest addiction beat as you need food to live. learning self control and better eating habits is the only way you are going to get this demon in control. i will always have the urge to overeat. it is the hardest thing i have put my mind to overcome.

That is a gluttonous attitude issue, not an addiction.

Charlottesometimes23

Yes, I do.

I have posted the first review article before. It examines both human and animal studies. The co-author, Koob now heads the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism

The dark side of food addiction. Parylak SL Koob GF, Zorrilla EP. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3304465/#!po=55.7143

"In drug addiction, the transition from casual drug use to dependence has been linked to a shift away from positive reinforcement and towards negative reinforcement. That is, drugs ultimately are relied on to prevent or relieve negative states that otherwise result from abstinence (e.g., withdrawal) or from adverse environmental circumstances (e.g., stress). Recent work has suggested that this “dark side” shift also is key in the development of food addiction. Initially, palatable food consumption has both positive reinforcing, pleasurable effects and negative reinforcing, “comforting” effects that can acutely normalize organism responses to stress. Repeated, intermittent intake of palatable food may instead amplify brain stress circuitry and downregulate brain reward pathways such that continued intake becomes obligatory to prevent negative emotional states via negative reinforcement. Stress, anxiety and depressed mood have shown high comorbidity with and the potential to trigger bouts of addiction-like eating behavior in humans"

Another review article http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20042860

Food addiction: true or false? Corsica JA1, Pelchat ML.

"Recent findings have strengthened the case for food addiction. These findings may serve to validate the perception of food addiction in patients and inform psychoeducational, cognitive-behavioral, and/or pharmacological treatment for chronic food cravings, compulsive overeating, and binge eating that may represent a phenotype of obesity. Screening for food addiction has the potential to identify people with eating difficulties that seriously compromise weight management efforts. Future research should include a focus on human food addiction research; evaluating the impact of treatment on underlying neurochemistry; and prevention or reversal of food addiction in humans."

There is also a validated Yale Food addiction Scale. Article here. http://www.yaleruddcenter.org/resources/upload/docs/what/addiction/FoodAddictionScaleArticle09.pdf

It's a controversial hypothesis though...

81Katz

Physically, not really.

Emotionally, yes, absolutely.

I think emotions fuel the desire to eat (to soothe, to cope, distract, defense mechanism, etc)

But over time I think people become more addicted to the binge, the over-eating, the emotional fulfillment they get from the food, not an actual physical addiction to a cookie or chips, for example.

I do not think many people over-eat/binge because they *truly* enjoy it. Most have extreme guilt and shame over these actions. I think a lot of addicts feel guilt or shame over their (drugs, alcohol, etc) addiction. I think the emotional turmoil might be same no matter the addiction.

Just my 2 cents ...

ahamm002

I do not believe in food addiction. While I -may- be proven wrong some day, I believe that most people who think they have a food addiction just have behavioral issues or emotional issues that they are masking with food intake.

Which is exactly how most addictions start and progress.

ahamm002

I'm gonna say no.

http://www.karger.com/Article/Pdf/338310

Interesting link. It concludes that food addiction could exist as a type of behavioral addiction.

EvgeniZyntx

A thread about definitions.


If one considers behavioral addictions like gambling, lying, collecting, internet, etc then eating certainly may fall into behaviors that are difficult to control and result in conditions that are essentially harmful.

Is there a biochemical addiction equivalent to that of hard drugs? No. Not even close.

The answer depends on which bucket you want to use.

EvgeniZyntx

Yes, I do.

I have posted the first review article before. It examines both human and animal studies. The co-author, Koob now heads the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism

The dark side of food addiction. Parylak SL Koob GF, Zorrilla EP. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3304465/#!po=55.7143

"In drug addiction, the transition from casual drug use to dependence has been linked to a shift away from positive reinforcement and towards negative reinforcement. That is, drugs ultimately are relied on to prevent or relieve negative states that otherwise result from abstinence (e.g., withdrawal) or from adverse environmental circumstances (e.g., stress). Recent work has suggested that this “dark side” shift also is key in the development of food addiction. Initially, palatable food consumption has both positive reinforcing, pleasurable effects and negative reinforcing, “comforting” effects that can acutely normalize organism responses to stress. Repeated, intermittent intake of palatable food may instead amplify brain stress circuitry and downregulate brain reward pathways such that continued intake becomes obligatory to prevent negative emotional states via negative reinforcement. Stress, anxiety and depressed mood have shown high comorbidity with and the potential to trigger bouts of addiction-like eating behavior in humans"

Another review article http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20042860

Food addiction: true or false? Corsica JA1, Pelchat ML.

"Recent findings have strengthened the case for food addiction. These findings may serve to validate the perception of food addiction in patients and inform psychoeducational, cognitive-behavioral, and/or pharmacological treatment for chronic food cravings, compulsive overeating, and binge eating that may represent a phenotype of obesity. Screening for food addiction has the potential to identify people with eating difficulties that seriously compromise weight management efforts. Future research should include a focus on human food addiction research; evaluating the impact of treatment on underlying neurochemistry; and prevention or reversal of food addiction in humans."

There is also a validated Yale Food addiction Scale. Article here. http://www.yaleruddcenter.org/resources/upload/docs/what/addiction/FoodAddictionScaleArticle09.pdf

It's a controversial hypothesis though...

I have yet to see a center treating opiate path related addiction for food with methadone....

jim180155

I know some people think that you cannot be addicted to food because it is essential for survival and not something you can quit , but I 100% believe that sugary, fatty, and salty junk foods are addictive.
What do you think?

Anything that boosts your dopamine response past that of what is found in nature can be addicting, and that includes drugs as well as un-naturally concentrated calorie dense foods like we eat in this country. Foods can also have other addictive components, too.

Food addiction is a very real thing, and it is very much manufactured into many processed foods. Whole natural plant foods are not addicting.

Ask a room full of people to speak up when they spot an addictive food, then flash images of food on a screen. No one speaks up for strawberries, cantaloupe, kale, broccoli or melons, but as soon as you flash chocolate, cheese or pastries on the screen, EVERY mouth in the room speaks up simultaneously. We all know intuitively that food addiction is very real.

Well said.

amyhoss

Absolutely and I think that the food companies use that to their advantage and to keep us coming back. I don't think food in its natural form is addicting. Processed, chemical laden, sugary foods however, are.