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Highly Palatable Foods Are Addictive

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Food Addiction, Obesity, and Disorders of Overeating

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Abstract

Despite the extensive biological evidence supporting the construct of food addiction (FA), it is still controversial whether certain foods should be considered “addictive.” Some argue that although animals become addicted to sugar, it does not occur in humans (Onaolapo and Onaolapo. Pathophysiology. 25:263–76, 2018; Westwater et al. Eur J Nutr. 55:55–69, 2016; Hebebrand et al. Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 47:295–306, 2014). Others claim that food should not be considered addictive since illicit drugs and other substances of abuse contain a much more clearly addictive agent (e.g., ethanol in alcoholic beverages, nicotine in tobacco, tetrahydrocannabinol in marijuana), whereas such a specific, addictive substance has not been identified in food (Hebebrand et al. Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 47:295–306, 2014; Ruddock et al. Int J Obes. 41:1710–7, 2017; Meule. Curr Obes Rep. 8:11–7, 2019). Indeed, no particular diet in studies of weight loss has proven to definitively outshine any of the others, and no specific macronutrient can be considered all-bad or all-good (Chap. 2) (Onaolapo and Onaolapo. Pathophysiology. 25:263–76, 2018). Concern is expressed that given the current challenges faced by the idea of classifying foods in terms of their addictive potential, the idea of “food addiction” should be dropped (Meule. Curr Obes Rep. 8:11–7, 2019; Carter et al. Annu Rev Nutr. 36:105–28, 2016).

However, as we’ve discussed in preceding chapters, it is clear that certain foods or food combinations, especially when consumed in excess, stimulate the brain reward system in ways that are similar to drugs of addiction (Gearhardt et al. Appetite. 52:430–6, 2009; Jeynes and Gibson. Drug Alcohol Depend. 179:229–39, 2017; Wiss and Brewerton. Nutrients. 12:2937, 2020; Small and DiFeliceantonio. Science. 363:346–7, 2019; Tobore. Behav Brain Res. 384:112560, 2020) and can cause conditioning (Onaolapo and Onaolapo. Pathophysiology. 25:263–76, 2018) and other brain changes that can lead to impulse control difficulties and disordered eating behavior (Wiss and Brewerton. Nutrients. 12:2937, 2020; Small and DiFeliceantonio. Science. 363:346–7, 2019; Tobore. Behav Brain Res. 384:112560, 2020). In addition, certain foods, more than others, adversely affect related systems such as homeostatic and stress-processing pathways and cause neuroinflammation and gut-irritation, perpetuating the addiction cycle (Wiss and Brewerton. Nutrients. 12:2937, 2020; Small and DiFeliceantonio. Science. 363:346–7, 2019; Tobore. Behav Brain Res. 384:112560, 2020).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Mind Research Network, Albuquerque, NM, USA

    Claire E. Wilcox

  2. Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque, NM, USA

    Danielle C. Farrar

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  1. Claire E. Wilcox
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Correspondence to Danielle C. Farrar .

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Wilcox, C.E., Farrar, D.C. (2021). Highly Palatable Foods Are Addictive. In: Food Addiction, Obesity, and Disorders of Overeating. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-83078-6_11

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