Food Addiction: Is It Real?

Do you feel addicted to food, especially sweet treats?nnIf you struggle with addictive-like behavior when it comes to sugar, you are not alone. Researchers know that our brains are wired to love sweets, and are studying the food addiction qualities of foods high in sugar, flour and fat. nnEven attorneys are getting into the act. While large companies such as Kraft (maker of Oreos), say that their research is not “aimed at creating consumer dependency”, they do share expertise with their corporate counterpart, Phillip Morris.nnThe attorneys who won huge settlements against the tobacco companies believe they could repeat their wins, if they could prove that food companies hid any addictive qualities of their foods.nnMoments after you indulge in sweet treats, your brain’s pleasure center releases opiate-like substances.nnThe same brain chemicals that create narcotic highs also keep you coming back to sugary treats.nnFood addiction is real.nnEarly studies on lab rats showed that rodents have a ravenous taste for Oreos. In experiments, the rats poked the cookies, sniffed them, and ate them to excess. nnMany rats even took them apart and licked the fillings . . . just like humans.nnAccording to Ann Kelley at the University of Wisconsin, “even bacteria swim toward sugar.”nnThe same sort of opiates that create the rush of drugs such as heroin also shape how the brain gets pleasure from food, especially foods high in fat and sugar.nnBrain scans in human subjects have shown that Oreos and other sweet snacks act on the same brain pleasure centers that respond to addictive drugs.nnThe thought and sight of ice cream set off the same neurological pleasure centers in healthy subjects as the images of crack pipes did for drug addicts.nnOf course, all this doesn’t PROVE that food is addictive, and some people have more of a problem than others.nnBut addiction researchers are coming to a more certain conclusion – sugar is like alcohol and other addictive substances. nnOur brains and bodies respond in very similar ways.nnFood has the ability to change your appearance, your health, your mood, and your self-esteem. nnWhen you think about it that way, I hope it makes it easier to make more conscious and healthy decisions . . . peacefully.