Food addiction has become a popular term, that some feel is thrown around carelessly. According to the manual used to diagnose mental disorders, DSM-5, addiction is “compulsive substance use despite harmful consequences, characterized by an inability to stop, failure to meet obligations, tolerance, and withdrawal.” Considering this definition, is food addiction the same as drug or gambling addiction? It is known that excessive food intake over time can lead to adverse health outcomes, but it is not known if food is addictive in the same way as a drug. A seminar given by Foods and Nutrition PhD student Carolina Cawthon provided some interesting research that attempts to shed light on this concept.
First, it should be noted that our body has several mechanisms to regulate food intake. Short-term regulation in the gastrointestinal tract sends signals to the brain that you are full. Long-term hormonal regulation responds to how many calories you have consumed. Both of these pathways together help you to maintain a relatively balanced food intake. However, eating for pleasure (reward) can override this balance and make you reach for that second serving or dessert even when your body is saying you are full. Triggering the reward pathway stimulates dopamine release, which makes you feel good. Over time sensitivity to dopamine declines, so the levels drop. A dopamine release is needed to reach baseline level and improve mood, so an individual wants to be exposed to the substance again and again to feel normal. This mechanism is how addiction occurs.
One reason food addiction has not been established is that it is difficult to conduct this research. One way is to monitor brain activity to see what areas of the brain are being stimulated as a result of the substance. For example, a study found that individuals who scored higher on a food addiction scale had brain activity similar to someone with dependence. It indicated that they were more motivated by reward and had less control to stop the behavior. Another study found that subjects who were obese had fewer dopamine receptors. Fewer receptors results in a lower dopamine response like what is experienced with addiction, suggesting that a similar mechanism may be present. It appears that food addiction and drug addiction are alike in some ways, but for now it cannot be determined if someone can become addicted to food.
Classifying food as an addictive substance could have important implications. First, it could emphasize therapy as a treatment for obese individuals to promote behavior change and weight loss. Raising awareness could also promote obesity prevention by demonstrating the consequences of continually overriding hunger cues. Finally, recognizing snack foods and sugar-sweetened beverages as addicting could provide more evidence for a tax on them to discourage consumption. For now, it is important to recognize that food addiction is distinct from substance addiction. However, it is always a good idea to practice mindful eating – following hunger and satiety cues – and not continuing to eat once you are full.
Thank you all for the comments! I agree that disordered eating is a real problem. I think that part of the difficulty in classifying food addiction as an addiction lies in how drug or alcohol addiction is viewed. Again, part of the definition is “compulsive substance use despite harmful consequences.” Addiction can lead to self-destructive, irrational behaviors just to obtain the substance. While someone could definitely continue to eat a food regardless of the harmful consequences, typically it would not involve the extreme behaviors we associate with substance abuse. However, this does not make food addiction any less concerning; perhaps the mindset and stereotypes surrounding addiction need to change. On the other hand, maybe this addictive behavior surrounding food is already captured or could be better captured through eating disorder diagnoses. Regardless of how it is defined, as everyone has mentioned in the comments it is something that should be taken seriously.
Anthony, in regard to your question about the types of food, I think it depends. Many times in the research, food addiction is studied in relation to sweet taste. Usually the presumption is that it would be a high-fat or high-sugar food, something pleasurable to eat that would trigger the reward center in the brain. An addiction to all types of food may be more closely related to binge eating disorder; the distinctions are not very clear at this point.
Interesting topic Emily. Obviously the topic of food addiction, has continued to grow over the last half century with the rise in obesity and an increase in energy dense food and beverages. It’s hard to believe that it still is not classified as an actual addiction. Based on the criteria and definition of addition, food addition is real, and can have serious problems to a persons life. I would also agree with you that the best way thing moving forward is to identify the problem, and addressing the fact that it can contribute to serious medical problems. I would be interested to see if there are certain events that lead to people having or developing a food addition. I’m also curious to see if it is possible to be addicted to only one type of food, or if it just food in general?
Although it may be difficult to determine if an individual can be diagnosed as having a food addiction, one can be certain that there is a real problem which can cause a person to have unnatural and harmful tendencies regarding their diet. As important as it may be to use science to determine a diagnosis, it is more critical to know that there are people who have a problem and are experiencing physical, mental, and emotional suffering. In light of this, a clinical approach needs to be taken to provide treatment options. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a research-based intervention that was originally designed to help treat depression and is commonly applied to individuals suffering from psychosocial disorders, including anxiety, posttraumatic stress disorder, and obsessive compulsive disorder. Individuals are taught to develop a strategy of coping with their disorder by targeting change in their personal thoughts, beliefs, and actions. Regardless of the lack of consensus on classifying this problem, people who experience some form of disordered eating need to know that there are resources available to them that offer solutions to their affliction.
Hi Emily,
This was a really neat post and it is something that I have always been curious about. I’ve heard the term food addiction before and I always asked myself can you really be addicted to food? I like the idea of monitoring the brain centers to see which areas are stimulated like they would do with a drug. This is definitely an area that I hope research continues because we need food to survive, but as we’ve seen it can also be damaging to our health as well.