Evidence for Food Addiction
New research from Canada suggests that people can become dependent on tempting foods and engage in a compulsive pattern of consumption, similar to behaviors seen in drug addicts and those with alcoholism.
Food Addiction Studied
Using a questionnaire originally developed by researchers at Yale University, a group of obese men and women were assessed according to the 7 symptoms recommended by the American Psychiatric Association to diagnose substance dependence (e.g., withdrawal, tolerance, continued use despite problems), with questions modified by replacing the word food for drugs within the questions.
Based on their responses, individuals were classified as ‘food addicts’ or non-addicts, and then the two groups were compared in three areas relevant to conventional addiction disorders: clinical co-morbidities, psychological risk factors, and abnormal motivation for the addictive substance.
Find: Junk Food Irresistible? Blame Sleepiness
Food Addiction Linked to Depression and Other Conditions
While ‘food addicts’ did not differ from non-addicts in their age or body weight (controlled for height), they displayed an increased prevalence of binge-eating disorder and depression, and more symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.
They also were characterized by more impulsive personality traits, were more sensitive or responsive to the pleasurable properties of palatable foods, and were more likely to ‘self-soothe’ with food.
Discover why: Bad Fats Linked to Depression
Food Addiction Similar to Drug Abuse Disorders
“These results strongly reinforce the view that food addiction is an identifiable condition with clinical symptoms, and is characterized by a psycho-behavioral profile that is similar to conventional drug-abuse disorders,” said Dr. Davis. “The results also deliver much needed human support for the growing evidence of sugar and fat addiction in experimental animal research,” she added.
Read: Olestra Alert – Fake Fat Could Make You Fat
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Reference:
Research to be presented at the upcoming annual meeting of the Society for the Study of Ingestive Behavior, Lead author: C. Davis (York University, Toronto, ON, Canada) Co-authors: R.D. Levitan, A.S. Kaplan, J.L. Kennedy (Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, ON, Canada), and J.C. Carter (Department of Psychiatry, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada) Research supported by the Canadian Institute for Health Research (CIHR).
Source: Society for the Study of Ingestive Behavior
