Food Addiction- Why You Can’t Eat Just One Oreo

in Uncategorized
November 17th, 2014

Nothing is better than satisfying a craving for junk food. Be it Oreos, chips, or chocolate, digging into your favorite snack is probably the best feeling in the world. But what happens when junk food stops becoming a guilty pleasure and instead becomes a real addiction?

Research has discovered that sugar is more addictive than cocaine and that your brain becomes addicted to its own release of opioids in the reward system. The reward system in our brains evolutionarily benefited us by rewarding us for engaging in behavior that encouraged our survival. Thus, when we eat, the neurotransmitter dopamine (usually associated with happiness and pleasure) is released, causing the happy feeling you get when you satisfy a craving.

The world that we live in is one of easy access to sugar-rich foods and has lead to the normalization of overly sweet and processed foods in our everyday lives. Just like any addiction, tolerance to a substance may occur. In this case, constantly activating the reward system and releasing dopamine by continuously eating junk food can cause dopamine receptors to down-regulate. At this point, dopamine receptors are removed by the brain to maintain a balanced state. Fewer dopamine receptors prevent the same stimulation/effect created by dopamine release; thus we tend to eat more junk food to reach the same level of pleasure as before.

Here is where we find the bane of every dieter’s existence: the craving. Cravings, the desire to consume a specific food item, can be triggered by cues such as smells, sights, or even emotional states. Cravings have the ability to dominate your attention until you reward yourself; continuing this cycle creates a higher level of tolerance and inevitably leads to a higher rate of consuming food.

If the ever present problem of food addiction goes out of control, it can eventually lead to physical problems (obesity, diabetes, hypertension, etc.) and psychological problems (anxiety, depression, self-esteem issues).

However, midnight-snackers and diet-cheaters, don’t think that one Oreo will cause you to spiral out of control! There is hope: just be careful. Eating healthy and nutritious meals, exercising, and cutting down on sugar loaded or processed foods is a good way to prevent food addiction. Just think twice the next time you inhale an entire sleeve of Oreos.

-Kavya Raghunathan

Sources:
How Food Addiction Works (and What to do About it) -Authority Nutrition
Unraveling the Brain Chemistry Behind Food Addiction -Johns Hopkins Medicine
Brain Imaging Study Confirms Addictive Nature of Processed Carbs -Mercola.com