Food can be a sensory delight with its smell, taste and even presentation. Yet the problem with food is that for some, it can also be addictive. Now, scientists have found that the same kinds of impulsive behavior that lead some people to abuse alcohol and other drugs may also be an important contributor to an unhealthy relationship with food.
Currently, more than one-third of U.S. adults are obese. This puts them at a greater risk for diabetes, heart disease, stroke and other health-related issues. With large portion sizes and calorie-laden foods, it's difficult for some to stave off obesity despite the high costs associated with it. In fact, obese people pay an average of $1,429 more in medical expenses than those with normal weight.
"The notion of food addiction is a very new one, and one that has generated a lot of interest," said James MacKillop, one of the researchers, in a news release. "My lab generally studies alcohol, nicotine and other forms of drug addiction, but we think it's possible to think about impulsivity, food addiction and obesity using some of the same techniques."
In order to better understand food addiction, the researchers employed two different scales: the Yale Food Addiction Scale and the UPPS-P Impulsive Behavior Scale. This allowed them to determine levels of food addition and impulsivity among 233 volunteers involved in the study. The scientists then compared the results with each person's body mass index.
So what did they find? It turns out that impulsive behavior was not necessarily associated to obesity. However, impulsive behavior can lead to food addiction. While a person with impulsive behavior may not necessarily become obese, there's an increased risk of this happening.
"Modern neuroscience has helped us understand how substances like drugs and alcohol co-opt areas of the brain that evolved to release dopamine and create a sense of happiness or satisfaction," said MacKillop in a news release. "And now we realize that certain types of food also hijack these brain circuits and lay the foundation for compulsive eating habits that are similar to drug addiction."
The findings are published in the journal Appetite.
