Dopamine: why “just one bite” doesn’t work
tecallahan
Posts: 732 Member
Interesting article -- I can find truth in this from my own eating behavior!! For me it was salty and fatty foods - my favorite was potato chips. I could eat them until I am brain-dead!! Read on...
The science on food addiction has now established that highly palatable foods (low-nutrient, high-calorie, intensely sweet, salty, and/or fatty foods - those that make up the majority of the Standard American Diet) produces the exact biochemical effects in the brain that are characteristic of substance abuse.
Junk food is ubiquitously available, legal, cheap, and socially accepted; therefore, it becomes the drug of choice for many of us.
The following are some characteristics of addiction to a substance or behavior:
- Compulsive use of the substance despite negative health and social consequences
- Tolerance - over time, progressively greater amounts of the substance are needed to reach and maintain the “high”
- Withdrawal symptoms (link toxic hunger) when the substance is discontinued
- Activation of reward pathways (including the dopamine system) in the brain
Many of us have had the experience of tasting a junk food or dessert, and then feeling the intense demand from our brain: “MORE!” We feel a complete lack of control, and our commitment to excellent health all of a sudden doesn’t matter. These feelings originate from the dopamine reward system – dopamine is a neurochemical that regulates motivation, pleasure, and reinforcement related to certain stimuli – such as food. The amount of pleasure we derive from eating a food correlates with the amount of dopamine released in the brain.2
Recent research suggests that overeating and obesity create greater desire for palatable food, but reduce the pleasure derived from consuming these foods – resulting in a progressively worsening addiction.
"Food" for thought!! 
The science on food addiction has now established that highly palatable foods (low-nutrient, high-calorie, intensely sweet, salty, and/or fatty foods - those that make up the majority of the Standard American Diet) produces the exact biochemical effects in the brain that are characteristic of substance abuse.
Junk food is ubiquitously available, legal, cheap, and socially accepted; therefore, it becomes the drug of choice for many of us.
The following are some characteristics of addiction to a substance or behavior:
- Compulsive use of the substance despite negative health and social consequences
- Tolerance - over time, progressively greater amounts of the substance are needed to reach and maintain the “high”
- Withdrawal symptoms (link toxic hunger) when the substance is discontinued
- Activation of reward pathways (including the dopamine system) in the brain
Many of us have had the experience of tasting a junk food or dessert, and then feeling the intense demand from our brain: “MORE!” We feel a complete lack of control, and our commitment to excellent health all of a sudden doesn’t matter. These feelings originate from the dopamine reward system – dopamine is a neurochemical that regulates motivation, pleasure, and reinforcement related to certain stimuli – such as food. The amount of pleasure we derive from eating a food correlates with the amount of dopamine released in the brain.2
Recent research suggests that overeating and obesity create greater desire for palatable food, but reduce the pleasure derived from consuming these foods – resulting in a progressively worsening addiction.
"Food" for thought!! 0