Food addiction is starting to be recognized as a physiological and psychological disorder, though research on the causes and treatment have not been accorded the same urgency as alcohol and substance addictions. This writer could find no quantitative studies that discussed food addiction alone. Current literature addresses food addiction as a corollary to other addictions. Researchers do believe that full understanding of substance addictions, as well as behavior addictions, will lead to successful treatment of food addiction. While food addiction itself is not seen as a serious problem, the consequences of addiction -- obesity and its related health issues -- have reached epidemic proportions in the U.S.
Addiction…Final Outline
Food Addiction: Causes and Treatment
First Study
Fortuna, J.L. (2012). The obsesity epidemic and food addiction: Clinical similarities to drug
Dependence. Journal of Psychoactive Drugs 44(1), pp. 56-63.
As of 2010, nearly 70% of adult Americans were overweight or obese. Fast food establishments are abundant, portion sizes are larger, and people generally have insufficient intake of Omega 3 fatty acids. Additionally, Americans do not get sufficient physical exercise.
Sugar primes endorphin and dopamine in the nucleus accumbens, similar to the "high" experienced by users of illegal drugs. In some individuals, this brings about addictive behavior very similar to that seen in alcoholics and substance addicts.
Methods
Fortuna reviewed the literature that investigated two clinical similarities between food addiction and drug dependence.
Animal studies show that bingeing on high-sugar foods, compared to fat dense foods, trigger the release of endorphin and dopamine.
3. Similar results were obtained with human subjects.
C. Results
1. Researchers found that cravings for specific drugs and palatable foods exist in many of the same neural pathways.
2. Loss of inhibitory control may occur following the consumption of even a small amount of a food or drug that had previously induced euphoria or displayed palliative properties.
II. Second Study
Karin, R., and Chaudhri, P. (2012). Behavioral addictions: An overview. Journal of Psychoactive Drugs 44(1), pp. 5-17.
A. Introduction
1. Karin and Chaudhri point to the well-known concept of addiction to substances, and argue the term "addiction" can just as readily be applied to behaviors.
2. Self-medicating with behavior includes sex addition, compulsive shopping, compulsive gambling, and binge eating.
3. Recent findings shed light on shared attributes of such impulse control disorders. There is little published data on potential behaviors with addictive properties. The current impulse control disorders listed in the DSM-IV classification need more data.
B. Methods
1. The authors reviewed the existing literature on a variety of behavioral addictions in addition to food addiction.
2. The examined the trend toward thinking about non-drug addictions as sharing neurobiological mechanisms with substance abuse and dependence, where it is thought that drugs of abuse essentially "hijack" neural circuits that underline encoding of natural rewards and plasticity in the brain's circuitry.
C. Results
1. Similarities have been found between nondrug and drug addictions including craving, impaired control over the behavior, increased tolerance (i.e., "more" of whatever results from the behavior is needed to get the same "high), withdrawal, and high rates of relapse.
2. The authors concluded that our "overstimulated society," with rapid advances in technology and readily available stimuli, exacerbates the need to alter one's state of feelings. Escaping, soothing, numbing, releasing tension, lessening anxiety, or producing euphoric feelings are all altered states of mind.
III. Third study
Van Niekerk, J.P. de V. (2011). Addiction. South African Medical Journal 101(10), pp. 673-
A. Introduction
1. Clinicians have generally used "addiction" to mean "continued involvement and dependence on drugs, including alcohol and tobacco." Addiction now includes abnormal dependency on many other things, including food, gambling and even pornography.
2. Substance abuse can be classified in terms of potential harms, as can other types of abuse.
B. Methods
1. Little research has been conducted directly on food addiction. Researchers study alcohol and substance abuse to learn how it affects the brain; they are beginning to find some correlations with food addiction.
2. Van Niekerk reviewed some of the most recent literature on drug abuse as presented at South African's 2nd Biennial Anti-Substance Abuse Summit, with the theme of an integrated approach.
C. Results
1. In discussing addictions, food addiction is not accorded the same importance as studies of alcohol and drug abuse.
2. Consequences of food addiction can be very dangerous to public health, but there is not the same urgency to find causes and treatments.
IV. Fourth Study
Liu, Y., von Deneen, K.M., Kobeissy, F.H., and Gold, M.S. (2010). Addiction and obesity:
Evidence from bench to bedside. Journal of Psychoactive Drugs 42(2), pp. 133- 145.
A. Introduction
1. Food addiction is thought to stem from a variety of psychological and physiological causes, though the overall etiology is not well explained. Numerous theories seek to explain causes so that treatments can be more readily developed.
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