Post on 16-Apr-2017
FOOD ADDICTIONAllison Bossong and Elizabeth West
What Is A Food Addiction? A disease which causes loss of control
over the ability to stop eating certain foods.
It’s a very serious problem and it’s one of the main reasons people can’t control themselves around certain foods.
Research shows that for some people pleasure centers in the brain are activated by food especially highly palatable foods.
Biological Causes Food addiction involves the same pleasure
centers of the brain as drug addiction. Over time, the brain develops a physical
craving for these highly palatable foods.
Biological Causes These foods trigger rewards signals from
the pleasure center that often override the signals of fullness and satisfaction.
Addicts develop a tolerance to food so they have to eat more because it satisfies them less.
Food Addiction Video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amoF
gf-v0Ow&feature=youtu.be
Symptoms of Food Addiction Physical
Eating more than planned in one sitting Eating even when not hungry Eating to the point of being ill
Emotional Feeling guilty after eating, but continuing to eat
anyways Emotional binge-eating
Social Eating alone due to embarrassment or shame Avoiding social situations due to appearance
Impacts on Health Can lead to diseases such as:
Obesity Type 2 diabetes Heart disease Cancer Alzheimer’s Arthritis
Emotional and social impacts on health
Food Addiction Statistics The dean of Yale University medical
school published that 50% of obese, 30% of the overweight, and 20% of the normal adults in a randomized sample were food addicted.
If this study recommended the US population, there would be approximately 70 million food addicted adults.
Common Misconceptions All people that struggle with food
addictions are obese. False: it does play a role in obesity, but
normal-weight people also struggle with food addiction.
Common Misconceptions Eating a specific food every day is a
strong indicator of food addiction False: It is only considered a food
addiction if the dependence on the food is characterized by compulsive and uncontrollable behaviors that occur at the expense of other daily activities
Commonly Addictive Foods Sweets
The high amount of sugar in sweets triggers an increase in dopamine and serotonin levels in the brain.
Starches Carbohydrates quickly break down quickly
to release sugar into the bloodstream which also increases dopamine levels in the brain.
Top 10 Most Addictive Foods
Recovery Unlike drug addicts, food addicts can’t
simply eliminate their drug of choice because food is a basic need.
Food Addicts Anonymous (FAA) and Overeaters Anonymous (OA)
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Medication
References Cited Goldberg, Joseph. "Food Addiction Signs and Treatments."
WebMD. WebMD, 21 Aug. 2014. Web. 06 Nov. 2014. <http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/mental-health-food-addiction>.
Gunnars, Kris. "Food Addiction - A Serious Problem With a Simple Solution." Authority Nutrition. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Nov. 2014. <http://authoritynutrition.com/how-to-overcome-food-addiction/>.
"In the News." Food Addicts In Recovery Anonymous. N.p., 2014. Web. 06 Nov. 2014. <http://www.foodaddicts.org/in-the-news>.
"What Is FAA?" Welcome to Food Addicts Anonymous. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Nov. 2014. <http://www.foodaddictsanonymous.org/What-Is-FAA>.
"What Is Food Addiction?" Food Addiction Institute. N.p., 2014. Web. 6 Nov. 2014.