Eating disorders are commonly discussed in the media and news today. Anorexia, bulimia, and obesity have become, in some cases, mere bywords for people who battle low self esteem issues through their diet. Obesity has now reached a level in the United States where it has become commonplace. Eating addiction is a serious health matter that should be treated as such and not taken lightly.
Obesity is usually blamed on a person’s weak will or poor self-control habits. What scientists and researchers are finding, however, is that there is a wealth of support for addiction to foods. This should not come as a surprise; after all, a person’s body can become addicted to caffeine, so why not sugar, fat, or other ingredients? Despite this seeming common sense, we as a society are quick to condemn obesity as a genetic disorder coupled with people’s laziness and inability to take care of themselves.
Highly palatable foods, defined as foods with high fat, sugar, or salt levels, can be considered on some level to be similar to addictive drugs, in that they trigger the release of dopamine. If a person gets a rush of dopamine from eating a specific food, then his or her body will quickly learn that particular food is pleasurable. Thus, the person will crave that particular food and, in time, could form a dependence on it.
In addition, like all addictive substances, the body may build up a tolerance to food – whichever palatable food the body needed to achieve that dopamine release will no longer have the same effects. Before long, a person will need to eat more and more of the food in order to achieve the same dopamine levels the body has become accustomed to.
This craving of unhealthy foods and the eventual inability to deny the craving is one of the factors that are leading to rises in obesity. The incredible variety and availability of food in a developed first world society like America seems to accommodate and even promote these addictive eating habits which lead to weight gain.
Cravings become addictions, and addictions then lead to binge eating disorders, and the cycle continues. The body can become dependent to the point of withdrawals if a person stops binge eating cold turkey, and like all addictions, this is difficult to treat. For information or advice on eating addictions, contact psychiatric or clinical experts or contact Drug Treatment Center Finder.
