Research about food addiction

[Oscar]

Food addiction is shown to follow a similar reward pattern as drug addiction, and the foods used in the experiment lead to compulsive eating and obesity.

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/183808.php

The article itself:
http://www.nature.com/neuro/journal/vao ... .2519.html

Of course there is no answer to the question of what it is that makes food addictive.

[panacea]

Wouldn't the answer simply be, "the foods that trigger or effect mood enhancing chemicals and neurotransmitters in the brain, and the varying degrees each substance does so, in the varying combinations".

Also you could go so far to say that 'healthy' food can be addictive in its own right, if it de-stresses the body enough (by reducing the harmful burden of improper food), but it makes sense that unhealthy foods are more prevalent, as they contain much stronger mind altering substances, just like drugs, but to a (usually) lesser degree.

[RRM]

Im afraid the answer isnt that simple.
Because all foods induce the release of neurotransmitters in the brain, which already starts when you think of taking a bite.
So, i dont think that these effects may count.
Maybe the difference between addictive and non-addictive foods is to what extend you want to keep on eating beyond
satisfying your initial energy requirements (a certain blood glucose and fatty acid level).

[llamaman]

It's more than the chemicals in the food when you taste them and digest them, though. It's epiphenomena like texture, aftertaste, "weight", and other attributes of food you eat that doesn't involve chemistry can elicit cravings in the body.

[panacea]

wouldn't all of those factors be represented chemically in the brain? (no brain, no feelings of 'texture, aftertaste, weight, or other attributes).

anyway, welcome to the forum, have you read waiworld yet? where did you come from?

[RRM]

wouldn't all of those factors be represented chemically in the brain? (no brain, no feelings of 'texture, aftertaste, weight, or other attributes).

Precisely.

[panacea]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink ... ctive.html

solved, although unintentional, it seems the profit driven food industry has discovered what makes our food cravings tick

all we need to do now is study how much fat, salt, and sugar is in these super addictive foods like heinz tomato ketchup, then create recipes for wai dieters using our foods list that will give these ratios as well.. then we can hook the world on healthy food!

[abicahsoul]

that explains what they did when they made cheese doodles (swedish cheesy snack)..
eviiil

[panacea]

yeah it's funny because one of my favorite meals used to be home made french fries and heinz ketchup.. I literally loved it so much and I ate way more than I could handle every single time, and my stomach hurt afterwards but I didnt mind I felt awesome. Whenever I would make fries and we didn't have any ketchup left or I couldn't find it I used to absolutely *hate* eating those fries. I got 0 pleasure from it. but i could never eat ketchup by itself either.. weird

[Oscar]

Of course there's absolutely no mentioning of addictive substances like beta-carbolines and opioid peptides, and their presence in taste enhancers...

[djkvan]

Food reactions don't only occur when one ingests something as illustrated by Pavlov. A craving/perception of availabilty can initiate a physiological cascade of reactions in the absence of the food itself. A cocaine addict will feel the need to move their bowels when they anticipate the use of the substance. Similarly, those who are experimenting with Wai will experience greater difficulty if they even keep familiar SAD foods in their home (or even when passing areas where familiar foods are being prepared), especially in the event that food sensitivities are involved. All the reactions that one experiences when ingesting a food can be stimulated when one anticipates that the food is available and regardless of whether or not ingestion is imminent. Elimination and time (and possibly seclusion) are the only solutions to this effect. It can take much time for the specific neurological pathways to wane.

[djkvan]

I'm not sure that this site addresses the specific neurological/physical symptoms that can accompany withdrawal from opiates and other chemical components in food (will examine specific threads further), but proper initial counseling/knowledge support would likely increase individual success rates and reduce attrition.