The Science Behind Food Addiction
With the world on lock-down, many people have had the opportunity to slow-down and take better care of themselves. More time at home has meant more time to prepare home-cooked meals and more time to exercise. For others, however, going to pick up take-out or swinging through the drive thru has still been the norm. I heard on the radio recently that the top selling food in America during this pandemic is french fries—comfort food anyone? The stress is high, and so are junk food sales. But did you know that it’s not just the calories that are contributing to that “Quarantine 15?”
What is it about these foods we crave that we just can’t seem to resist?
As a society, we are more interested in weight control today than ever before. We yo-yo diet according to the latest nutritional fad and lose a bit of weight, just to gain it all back. We fight a cycle of indulge, restrict, indulge, restrict, until we are sick of the effort and discouraged by the lack of results. This is most certainly thanks to the food industry, whose unapologetic and solitary aim is to chemically alter our foods to override our body’s innate satiety meter and make us crave more and more.
Food has become more accessible since the 1970s and with that accessibility came larger portion sizes, the spread of chain/fast food restaurants, and the availability of pre-made and pre-pared foods in the grocery stores. Just because the food is accessible does not mean that we have to eat it, but the amount of weight that we gain is ultimately tied to the amount that we consume. According to the UDSA, Americans are consuming more food than ever before. In the area of fats and oils alone we have seen a 63% increase over a period of 33 years. In the same amount of time we have consumed 19% more sugars, 43% more grains, 7% more poultry and nuts, and 24% more vegetables (most of which are contributed to french fries, and these stats are pre-pandemic). So the question becomes about why we are eating so much more than ever before. This changes the conversation.
Is it possible to remediate or reverse such changes? With determination to seek out better quality whole foods and prepare them at home, and the dedication to avoid processed junk like the plague, I believe that it is. But this requires time and effort that the average American feels like they can no longer afford. My job, therefore, is to educate and to facilitate.
We have been conditioned by food and by cues reminding us of those foods. Food has become the object of our attentions, anticipations, and desires. As humans we have evolved to prefer tastes of fat and sugar in our diet as these foods have traditionally been sources of higher energy to aid in the survival of the fittest. But the natural compensatory mechanism of homeostasis that is supposedly responsible for the maintenance of a healthy weight is often thrown off by a competing mechanism, the reward system. This reward system is stimulated and perpetuated by foods high in fats and sugar much the same way as it is in recreational substance addiction.
Homeostasis is supposed to keep our body’s need and use of food/fuel in check, and thus when fuel is not required, the brain is designed to release less dopamine (the neural response used to propel us towards the stimulus). This process is called “habituation” and an entire science has been devoted in the food industry to undermining it. Fatty, sugary, and salty foods are all known to alter the way our brains process and stimulate these signals and thus the manipulation of these substances can become a manipulation of brain circuitry. Repeated over time, these neural pathways become routine, and before we know it an compulsion has been born. “Addiction” may be a charged word, but there are many similarities in the attributes of these hyperpalatable foods and the use of recreational drugs. The resemblance in addictive behaviors between substance abuse and food addiction can be so strong that psychologist Ashley Gearhardt and her team at Yale have developed a Food Addiction Scale based on the DSM-IV criteria for substance dependence. This tool is one of the first in its kind and because it is so comprehensive I believe that it will be instrumental in the future diagnosis and treatment of food addiction illness.
Palatability is determined by how certain foods involve the senses such as temperature, aroma, texture, and probably above all else, flavor. Most of these more palatable foods are a culinary intermingling of sugar, salt, and fat that when mixed in the right proportions becomes more tantalizing and even hyperpalatable. This means that simple stimulation of one of these senses, or even the anticipation of that stimulation, can make us crave these foods when our bodies aren’t the slightest bit hungry and lead to overeating and weight gain. This has been demonstrated in both human and animal research time and time again.
Once the food industry figured out that they could tap into this power by creating hyperpalatable foods with layers of salt on fat on sugar and laced with chemical flavorings, they hit a jackpot. This focus on chemical manipulation of processed food began with the intent of extending the shelf life to keep food from spoiling, but then they found that they could also manipulate flavors and consumer experience to increase their sales—a practice they are more than happy to own up to. There are entire companies whose sole job is to create food products that they describe as “sensory experiences” to “excite, stimulate, comfort, and linger.”
So where does this leave you, as the consumer? Hopeful, I hope, because it’s not your fault. Staying away from these foods is not just about willpower, it’s about examining your environment and setting yourself up for success. It’s about stocking your fridge and pantry with real, whole foods that replenish your nutrient stores, and stacking the deck for yourself by only purchasing the things that won’t leave you feeling like garbage. It can be hard learning to navigate all these changes and if you’re reading this and you recognize that you need to make the shift but you have no idea where to start, it’s also totally okay to ask for help. Everybody needs a good cheerleader. ;)
References
Food addiction: What is food addiction and how is it measured in humans? [Podcast]. UCSF Center for Obesity Assessment, Study, & Treatment; 2010. http://podcast.uctv.tv/vod/18562.mp4. Accessed April 3 2020.
Kessler DA. The End of Overeating. New York, NY: Rodale Inc; 2009.
Gearhardt AN, Corbin WR, Brownell KD. Yale Food Addiction Scale (YFAS). Measurement Instrument Database for the Social Science; 2012. http://www.midss.org/sites/default/files/yfas_instruction_sheet.pdf. Accessed April 3 2020.