Quantcast
ZME Science
  • News
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Future
  • Space
  • Features
    Menu
    Natural Sciences
    Health
    History & Humanities
    Space & Astronomy
    Technology
    Culture
    Resources
    Natural Sciences

    Physics

    • Matter and Energy
    • Quantum Mechanics
    • Thermodynamics

    Chemistry

    • Periodic Table
    • Applied Chemistry
    • Materials
    • Physical Chemistry

    Biology

    • Anatomy
    • Biochemistry
    • Ecology
    • Genetics
    • Microbiology
    • Plants and Fungi

    Geology and Paleontology

    • Planet Earth
    • Earth Dynamics
    • Rocks and Minerals
    • Volcanoes
    • Dinosaurs
    • Fossils

    Animals

    • Mammals
    • Birds
    • Fish
    • Reptiles
    • Amphibians
    • Invertebrates
    • Pets
    • Conservation
    • Animals Facts

    Climate and Weather

    • Climate Change
    • Weather and Atmosphere

    Geography

    Mathematics

    Health
    • Drugs
    • Diseases and Conditions
    • Human Body
    • Mind and Brain
    • Food and Nutrition
    • Wellness
    History & Humanities
    • Anthropology
    • Archaeology
    • Economics
    • History
    • People
    • Sociology
    Space & Astronomy
    • The Solar System
    • The Sun
    • The Moon
    • Planets
    • Asteroids, Meteors and Comets
    • Astronomy
    • Astrophysics
    • Cosmology
    • Exoplanets and Alien Life
    • Spaceflight and Exploration
    Technology
    • Computer Science & IT
    • Engineering
    • Inventions
    • Sustainability
    • Renewable Energy
    • Green Living
    Culture
    • Culture and Society
    • Bizarre Stories
    • Lifestyle
    • Art and Music
    • Gaming
    • Books
    • Movies and Shows
    Resources
    • How To
    • Science Careers
    • Metascience
    • Fringe Science
    • Science Experiments
    • School and Study
    • Natural Sciences
    • Health
    • History and Humanities
    • Space & Astronomy
    • Culture
    • Technology
    • Resources
  • Reviews
  • More
    • Agriculture
    • Anthropology
    • Biology
    • Chemistry
    • Electronics
    • Geology
    • History
    • Mathematics
    • Nanotechnology
    • Economics
    • Paleontology
    • Physics
    • Psychology
    • Robotics
  • About Us
    • About
    • The Team
    • Advertise
    • Contribute
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact
No Result
View All Result
ZME Science

No Result
View All Result
ZME Science

Home → Health

Food addicts similar to drug addicts in brain activity

Tibi Puiu by Tibi Puiu
April 5, 2011
in Health

woman eating disorder food addict

I always find myself amused whenever I hear the term “food addiction” get mentioned, simply because, hey, who isn’t addicted to food? Besides me being a smart ass and humans having to eat to live (even zombies have to eat some brain – it’s still food right?), seriously there are a lot of people out there who have an acute eating disorder.

Eating too much, uncontrollably, long past the point of hunger saturation can be caused by a lot of things, most of the time by emotional issues (low self-esteem, self-loathing etc.), but my interest isn’t to write about what causes food addiction, instead I’d like to tell you a bit about how food addiction is very much compared to drug addiction by scientists, in terms of how the cravings and urges affect the brain.

This was concluded after researchers have analyzed the functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) brain scans of women who constantly ate uncontrollably, which revealed they anticipated food much in the same way a drug addict anticipates a fix. This was observed after researchers showed women pictures of a chocolate milk shake made with Häagen-Dazs ice cream, which rendered increased activity in the same regions of the brain that fire when people who are dependent on drugs or alcohol experience cravings. Contrary, women who weren’t addicted to food were presented with the same milk shake picture and showed much lower activity in the same regions.

Five seconds after which the women were presented with the photo, they were also given the Häagen-Dazs ice cream milk-shake to taste. And here comes the interesting part, once the women actually tasted the milk shakes, however, those who scored high on a food-addiction scale showed dramatically less activity in the “reward circuitry” of their brains than the other women – a phenomenon commonly seen in substance dependence, that could lead to chronic overeating and other problematic eating behaviors, researchers say.

“It’s a one-two punch,” says the lead author of the study, Ashley Gearhardt, a Ph.D. candidate in psychology at Yale University. “First, you have a strong anticipation, but when you get what you are after, there’s less of an oomph than you expected, so you consume more in order to reach those expectations.”

The research was conducted on 48 young women of various weight and size, with or without food disorder signs and was published in the Archives of General Psychiatry.

In what often proves to be a tough combo, in addition to exhibiting patterns of craving and tolerance similar to those seen in drug addiction, the brains of women who showed food addiction behavior also had less activity in areas responsible for self-control, which suggests that their brain chemistry may prime them to overindulge, Gearhardt says.

“It’s a combination of intense wanting coupled with disinhibition,” she says. “The ability to use willpower goes offline.”

Although a Häagen-Dazs ice cream milk-shake would probably make anyone drool, food addicted or not, this research shows that food addiction is a very serious matter, and does who suffer from it should be support and seek help.

Was this helpful?


Thanks for your feedback!

Related posts:
  1. What Causes Addicts to Relapse?
  2. Skunk marijuana has chemical compounds similar to garlic, which explains the similar odor
  3. Math anxiety is similar to experiencing physical pain, brain study finds
  4. EU wastes much more food than all the food it imports, even amid soaring food prices
  5. Never before seen brain activity in deep coma detected
Tags: food addictionfood disordermagnetic resonance imaging

ADVERTISEMENT
  • News
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Future
  • Space
  • Features
  • Reviews
  • More
  • About Us

© 2007-2021 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • News
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Future
  • Space
  • Features
    • Natural Sciences
    • Health
    • History and Humanities
    • Space & Astronomy
    • Culture
    • Technology
    • Resources
  • Reviews
  • More
    • Agriculture
    • Anthropology
    • Biology
    • Chemistry
    • Electronics
    • Geology
    • History
    • Mathematics
    • Nanotechnology
    • Economics
    • Paleontology
    • Physics
    • Psychology
    • Robotics
  • About Us
    • About
    • The Team
    • Advertise
    • Contribute
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact

© 2007-2021 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.

Don’t you want to get smarter every day?

YES, sign me up!

Over 35,000 subscribers can’t be wrong. Don’t worry, we never spam. By signing up you agree to our privacy policy.

✕
ZME Science News

FREE
VIEW