What is an addiction?
DEFINITION:
A brain disorder characterized by compulsive engagement in rewarding stimuli despite adverse consequences.
The term has been partially replaced by the word dependence; however, addiction has been extended to mood-altering behaviors or activities
Two types:
- Substance use disorder (drug – illegal and legal)
- Can develop addiction to alcohol, marijuana, PCP/LSD, opioid pain killers, sedatives, cocaine, meth, tobacco
- Where there is substance use disorder, there is usually a tolerance built up – need more to experience same effects
- Process addictions (like gambling)
Can food be addictive?
In order for food to be classified as addictive, you’d have to acknowledge that food causes mood-altering behaviors or activities. Additionally, food would have to directly cause physical changes in the brain’s chemistry and functioning – which plays a big role in the reason why alcohol is addictive.
- Alcohol increases the production of endorphins.
- Directly stimulates the release of dopamine and endorphins within the brain
- Causes withdrawal symptoms = nausea, hand tremors, depression, anxiety, insomnia, and seizures
- Caffeine is a central nervous stimulant
- Directly enhances concentration, increases metabolism and boosts mood
So how does food come into play? Food can be broken down into three macronutrients – fat, protein and carbohydrates. None of these directly impact brain chemistry in the matter of neurotransmitters like the substances above. To alter brain chemistry, we need to understand neurotransmitters and how these molecules interact with existing pathways.
Some people argue that sugar or high fat foods (in other words, highly palatable foods) cause an increased release of dopamine, leads to brain chemical changes that cause us to continually seek out those foods for a repeated “high”. It is interesting that these foods stimulate activity in the reward-relevant area of the brain, the striatum. Additionally, weight gain impacts the activity and responsiveness of the core components of the brain reward system. Ultimately, the only link we have is that palatable food and drug abuse impact the function of similar areas of the brain. While this is definitely a correlation, it’s not exactly a guarantee that both cause the same changes and responses of that area of the brain.
Ultimately, there isn’t solid scientific evidence that whole food consumption directly and solely contributes to food addiction. There has not been an addictive substance identified in foods (2). There is the argument about highly processed foods (containing nutritive/nonnutritive sweeteners and high fat – very palatable) being capable of engaging the reward-related centers in the brain. But people eat highly processed foods regularly and don’t experience drug-related effects. Highly processed foods cannot be comparable to legal/illegal drugs (3).
Research Gaps:
First. Conduct studies over time that evaluate how addictive-like eating behaviors develop and progress over time
Second. Assuming it is “addictive” – determine if treatment of addictive-like eating behaviors impacts energy intake and body weight
Third. Determine the pathway of highly processed foods and how they interact with neurotransmitters
Currently, we have studies on rats that demonstrate addictive-like scenarios when exposed to hyper palatable foods. While these studies are helpful, they cannot be directly correlated with human outcomes. The main reason is the difference in exposure to the food in studies versus real-life. Humans have economic constraints, knowledge/education on food choices and food availability. Typically, these variables all have a role in health outcomes – and subsequent food choices/options. We have to acknowledge these variables in the bigger picture!
SOURCES:
| (1) | https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pathophys.2018.04.002 From <https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S092846801730175X> |
| (2) | Current Obesity Reports (2019) 8:11–17 https://doi.org/10.1007/s13679-019-0326-2 |
| (3) | The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Volume 113, Issue 2, February 2021, Pages 274–276, https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/nqaa345 From <https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/article/113/2/274/6059775?login=true> |
| (4) | Food addiction: a valid concept? (nature.com) |
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