Addiction is a habit that hurts - and that includes food, eating and starving

 Addiction is a habit that hurts - and that includes food, eating and starving

From Web MD:
FOOD ADDICTION

The idea that a person can be addicted to food has recently gotten more support from science.

Experiments in animals and humans show that for some people, the same reward and pleasure centers of the brain that are triggered by addictive drugs like cocaine and heroin are also activated by food, especially highly palatable foods.

Highly palatable foods are foods rich in:

• Sugar • Fat • Salt

Like addictive drugs, highly palatable foods trigger feel-good brain chemicals like dopamine. Once people experience the rush of dopamine from eating certain foods, they quickly feel the need to eat again. The reward signals from highly palatable foods may override other signals of fullness and satisfaction. As a result, people keep eating, even when they're not hungry.

People who show signs of food addiction may also develop a tolerance to food. They eat more and more, only to find that food satisfies them less and less. Scientists believe that food addiction may play an important role in obesity.

But normal-weight people may also struggle with food addiction. Their bodies may simply be genetically programmed to better handle the extra calories they take in. Or they may increase their physical activity to compensate for overeating.

People who are addicted to food will continue to eat despite negative consequences, such as weight gain or damaged relationships. And like people who are addicted to drugs or gambling, people who are addicted to food will have trouble stopping their behavior, even if they want to or have tried many times to cut back.

Signs of Food Addiction Researchers at Yale University's Rudd Center for Food Science & Policy have developed a questionnaire to identify people with food addictions. Here's a sample of questions that can help determine if you have a food addiction. Do these actions apply to you?

• End up eating more than planned when you start eating certain foods.

• Keep eating certain foods even if you're no longer hungry.

• Eat to point of feeling ill.

• Worry about not eating certain types of foods or worry about cutting down on certain types of foods.

• When certain foods aren't available, go out of your way to obtain them.

The questionnaire also asks about the impact of your relationship with food on your personal life. Do these situations apply to you?

• Eat certain foods so often or in such large amounts that you start eating food instead of working, spending time with the family, or doing recreational activities.

• Avoid professional or social situations where certain foods are available because of fear of overeating.

• Have problems functioning effectively at your job or school because of food and eating. The questionnaire asks about withdrawal symptoms. For example, when you cut down on certain foods (excluding caffeinated beverages), do you have symptoms such as:

• Anxiety

• Agitation

• Other physical symptoms

The questionnaire also tries to gauge the impact of food decisions on your emotions. Do these situations apply to you?

• Eating food caused problems such as depression, anxiety, self-loathing, or guilt.

• You need to eat more and more food to reduce negative emotions or increase pleasure.

• Eating the same amount of food doesn't reduce negative emotions or increase pleasure the way it used to.

More about this from web MD.com

So how about it? Are YOU a food addict?