Do you believe in food addiction?

LadyRush

You certainly can. I am a compulsive overeater and have attended a 12 step program.

marleyskye05

Of course I believe in food addiction. It is a mental addiction obviously, not physical. Just because something is natural doesn't mean it can't become addictive. Anything that can be overdone can essentially become an addiction!

wannakimmy

What do I think?

Yes, I do.

Holly_Roman_Empire

Food does not contain any addictive substance like drugs, alcohol, or cigarettes do. I do not believe food is an addictive substance. I do, however, believe that people with addictive personalities can become addicted to food as an outlet for personal issues.

Saying that food releases dopamine into the brain just like drugs do is hardly a comparison and should not be a qualitative factor for determining if something is addictive. Baby laughter also releases dopamine, along with anything else that is pleasurable. But then again, I think I am addicted to hearing my baby laugh. Perhaps that's why I keep tickling her. :laugh:

neandermagnon

define addictive. depending on how you define it, anything can be addictive

psychological addiction - when someone feels they can't live without something, they can't cope when they don't have it, they get strong cravings for it.... this kind of addiction can happen with pretty much anything, including specific foods.

physiological addiction/dependence - where there are physiological withdrawal symptoms (i.e. they become physically ill, sometimes severely) such as you get from quitting alcohol or heroin cold turkey (in fact the term cold turkey originally was used to describe the withdrawal symptoms from heroin). Not all drugs produce an actually physiological dependence like this. these symptoms still occur even when there's no psychological addiction present, and it's why some medications you have to come off them slowly and under medical supervision. Food does not cause this.

Holly_Roman_Empire

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.

I think people can just honestly say that chocolate, cheese, and pastries are tastier than fruits and vegetables. That does not mean there's some conspiracy brewing in the food industry.

rustyguy

I went to a nutritionist who explained (and I'm paraphrasing) that sugar can kickstart dopamine production in the pleasure centers of the brain and reward persons who consume it. It doesn't hit as hard as a drug like heroin but there's a pleasurable reaction that wanes over time because the receptors become desensitized to sugar. Cravings for the high can lead people to consume more sugar to feel good. This can lead to highs and lows throughout the day as the feeling wears off. The fact that we lace everything in our food chain with some form of sugar leads me to believe that yes, people can be addicted to sugar.

Rocbola

Food does not contain any addictive substance like drugs, alcohol, or cigarettes do. I do not believe food is an addictive substance. I do, however, believe that people with addictive personalities can become addicted to food as an outlet for personal issues.

Saying that food releases dopamine into the brain just like drugs do is hardly a comparison and should not be a qualitative factor for determining if something is addictive. Baby laughter also releases dopamine, along with anything else that is pleasurable. But then again, I think I am addicted to hearing my baby laugh. Perhaps that's why I keep tickling her. :laugh:

Eating highly concentrated foods gives you a larger dopamine hit that you would find from something in nature.

Some food DOES contain addictive substances. Google "Chocolate" or "Cheese"

rustyguy

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.

I absolutely agree.

bcattoes

I definitely believe that you can have a food addiction.

I have been abused by people who say that it's will power. I used to be one of them (and I kind of still am.) But sometimes it's a matter of while I am saying no, while I am fighting it I'm getting into whatever it is that I'm resisting and before I know it I've eaten it. And often so fast like I'm trying to sneak it by myself. And then all that's left is to cry.

I've never understood the "it's just a lack of willpower" reasoning for saying food can't be addictive. What addiction is overcome by anything other than willpower or force?

PhearlessPhreaks

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.

I'm inclined to believe that all addictions, at their root, are behavioral addictions. Yes, there are substances which create a chemical dependency (alcohol, hard drugs, nicotine, etc...) and the severity of that dependency varies wildly from person to person- but that chemical dependency did not predate the addiction. The chemical dependency comes from repeated use. So it seems to me, the root of these 'addictions' comes from *why* there is a repeated, uncontrolled use. It is the uncontrolled factor that separates the addict from the non-addict.

Suejoker explained it quite well- her addiction to substances was, in essence, replaced by food. Ergo, there is an underlying issue at hand. Granted, it's anecdotal evidence, but I know many people like this. And they combat this difficulty in different ways, with varying degrees of success.

Holly_Roman_Empire

Food does not contain any addictive substance like drugs, alcohol, or cigarettes do. I do not believe food is an addictive substance. I do, however, believe that people with addictive personalities can become addicted to food as an outlet for personal issues.

Saying that food releases dopamine into the brain just like drugs do is hardly a comparison and should not be a qualitative factor for determining if something is addictive. Baby laughter also releases dopamine, along with anything else that is pleasurable. But then again, I think I am addicted to hearing my baby laugh. Perhaps that's why I keep tickling her. :laugh:

Eating highly concentrated foods gives you a larger dopamine hit that you would find from something in nature.

Some food DOES contain addictive substances. Google "Chocolate" or "Cheese"

Are you referring to phenylethylamine?

RickNeedzToGetShreaded

Yes I'm always hungry.

Holly_Roman_Empire

I definitely believe that you can have a food addiction.

I have been abused by people who say that it's will power. I used to be one of them (and I kind of still am.) But sometimes it's a matter of while I am saying no, while I am fighting it I'm getting into whatever it is that I'm resisting and before I know it I've eaten it. And often so fast like I'm trying to sneak it by myself. And then all that's left is to cry.

I've never understood the "it's just a lack of willpower" reasoning for saying food can't be addictive. What addiction is overcome by anything other than willpower or force?

Well, for something like a food addiction, will power IS all it takes. Simple, but not easy. It's not like you can completely cut it out of your life like alcohol or hard drugs. Sure, will power is required to quit something like alcohol or drugs, but in some cases, a detox process in a rehab unit is required.

davecando

i do believe it does exist the best senario i heard was from a pt , he said you can give up drugs , smoking , drink and never touch any of them again but with food we need it which makes it hard to give up , we can swap addictions around from sugar to fats etc or even choose excerise. we have to start with knowing how our body works and knowing what diffrent foods do for it once we understand that and feed it correctly then it becomes better for our bodies. also seen a program which did a test showed a few people eating allmost pure sugar and the same with fat not many like it at all in fact no one liked it , but once they combined they both together and added a few extra bits the people woudent stop eating it as in a full pizza a full pie, certyain foods are addictive sugar is like the devils dust its as bad a cocain for addiction i belive

neandermagnon

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.

I'm inclined to believe that all addictions, at their root, are behavioral addictions. Yes, there are substances which create a chemical dependency (alcohol, hard drugs, nicotine, etc...) and the severity of that dependency varies wildly from person to person- but that chemical dependency did not predate the addiction. The chemical dependency comes from repeated use. So it seems to me, the root of these 'addictions' comes from *why* there is a repeated, uncontrolled use. It is the uncontrolled factor that separates the addict from the non-addict.

Suejoker explained it quite well- her addiction to substances was, in essence, replaced by food. Ergo, there is an underlying issue at hand. Granted, it's anecdotal evidence, but I know many people like this. And they combat this difficulty in different ways, with varying degrees of success.

chemical dependency still occurs in people who take these drugs for medical reasons when there is no psychological addiction present at all. Doctors have to supervise withdrawal, which is done by gradually decreasing the dose over a suitable time frame, in order to prevent withdrawal symptoms in the patient. Newborn babies can have the same chemical dependency to drugs taken by their mother, and they also need to be withdrawn from it in the same fashion. The chemical dependency in these cases doesn't predate psychological addiction... it occurs without any psychological addiction at all.

while I agree with your points above regarding the nature of psychological addiction, physical/chemical addiction/dependency is a different thing altogether, and it's unfortunate that the two issues are confused by having the same name.

bcattoes

I definitely believe that you can have a food addiction.

I have been abused by people who say that it's will power. I used to be one of them (and I kind of still am.) But sometimes it's a matter of while I am saying no, while I am fighting it I'm getting into whatever it is that I'm resisting and before I know it I've eaten it. And often so fast like I'm trying to sneak it by myself. And then all that's left is to cry.

I've never understood the "it's just a lack of willpower" reasoning for saying food can't be addictive. What addiction is overcome by anything other than willpower or force?

Well, for something like a food addiction, will power IS all it takes. Simple, but not easy. It's not like you can completely cut it out of your life like alcohol or hard drugs. Sure, will power is required to quit something like alcohol or drugs, but in some cases, a detox process in a rehab unit is required.

In some cases surgery is required to break a food addiction.

TX_Rhon

In for the read.

To the OPs question. No.

Dependency? Emotional crutch? Excuse? Yes.

To compare food "addiction" to an actual drug/alcohol addiction is ludicrous.

LassoOfTruth

It's an emotional addiction.