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Food for Thought: Reward Mechanisms and Hedonic Overeating in Obesity

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Abstract

Purpose of Review

This review examines the food addiction model and the role of food hedonic pathways in the pathogenesis and treatment of obesity.

Recent Findings

The hedonic pathway interacts with the obesogenic environment to override homeostatic mechanisms to cause increase in body weight. Weight gain sustained over time leads to “upward setting” of defended level of body-fat mass. There are neurobiological and phenotypic similarities and differences between hedonic pathways triggered by food compared with other addictive substances, and the entity of food addiction remains controversial. Treatment for obesity including pharmacotherapy and bariatric surgery impacts on neural pathways governing appetite and hedonic control of food intake. The food addiction model may also have significant impact on public health policy, regulation of certain foods, and weight stigma and bias.

Summary

Recent rapid progress in delineation of food hedonic pathways advances our understanding of obesity and facilitates development of effective treatment measures against the disease.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Obesity and Metabolism Unit, Department of Endocrinology, Singapore General Hospital, Bukit Merah, Singapore

    Phong Ching Lee

  2. Clinical Obesity Research, Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute, 75 Commercial Road, Melbourne, Victoria, 3004, Australia

    John B. Dixon

  3. Iverson Health Innovation Research Institute, Swinburne University, Melbourne, Australia

    John B. Dixon

  4. Primary Care Research Unit, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia

    John B. Dixon

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  1. Phong Ching Lee
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Correspondence to John B. Dixon.

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Phong Ching Lee declares that he has no conflict of interest.

John B. Dixon has a Senior Research Fellowship with the National Health and Medical Research Council (Australia); has received compensation from Apollo Endosurgery, Bariatric Advantage, and Covidien for service as a consultant; has received compensation from iNova Pharmaceuticals for service as a consultant and guest speaker; has received compensation from Nestlé for serving as a guest speaker as well as on a scientific advisory board(s); has received compensation from Novartis for serving as a guest speaker as well as on a scientific advisory board(s); has received compensation from Novo Nordisk for service on scientific advisory boards; and has received compensation from mdBriefCase for providing assistance in the development of educational materials.

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Lee, P.C., Dixon, J.B. Food for Thought: Reward Mechanisms and Hedonic Overeating in Obesity. Curr Obes Rep 6, 353–361 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13679-017-0280-9

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