While food is an important part of life, our eating habits can sometimes be unhealthy (like eating at night!). Food is a source of nourishment and pleasure. Yet, sometimes eating can go beyond an enjoyable part of life and turn into addictive territory.

Is food dependency real?

All indications are that food addiction is very real, especially when it comes to processed, sugary and salty foods. These foods are considered very appetizing, which means they please the palate and the brain.

Food, especially these highly palatable foods, stimulate the brain's reward center. For some people, this stimulation can mimic what happens in drug or alcohol addiction.

In nature, the brain rewards us for engaging in survival behaviors (like eating and sex) by releasing dopamine. Usually, satiety occurs after eating, which is also a feeling of satisfaction.

According to the Encyclopedia of Food and Nutrition Sciences, this means that some people may get stuck in hunger and reward and never reach satiety.

Industrialized foods and addiction

Food addiction is a relatively new disease. And it's not just because food is more readily available to most of us than ever before in history.

Industrial food companies employ research teams to find the right combination of ingredients to make addictive foods. This is one more reason why it is so important to eat real food.

We all depend on food. As explained above, there is a biological reason why we seek food (and a biological reason why it is rewarding). There is nothing wrong with enjoying food and finding pleasure in food.

Symptoms of food addiction

Researchers at the Rudd Center for Food Science & Policy at Yale University have developed a questionnaire that can help identify people with food addiction. Here are the symptoms that the questionnaire identifies:

• Eating addictive foods in greater quantities and for longer periods of time than intended (e.g., eating to the point of illness).
• Persistent desire or repeated unsuccessful attempts to stop overeating
• Spend a lot of time and energy getting, eating and recovering from use.
• Withdrawal from important social, professional or recreational activities
• Use continues despite knowledge of the adverse consequences (loss of relationships, weight gain, etc.).
• Development of tolerance (need to eat more and more)
• Withdrawal (physical symptoms of withdrawal such as anxiety or agitation when reducing food intake and/or eating to relieve them)
• Significant distress caused by eating (depression, anxiety, guilt, etc.)

If you think you have some of the symptoms of a food addiction, a doctor or holistic practitioner can help.

Is the addiction physical or emotional?

Like many other addictions, food addiction can be emotional, physical or both. Cravings are a way for the body to try to regain balance (homeostasis). Physical imbalances (such as not getting enough of certain micronutrients) may play a role, but one expert notes that food addiction often has an emotional component.

Physical causes of food addiction

Food addiction can be caused by physical problems in several important ways.

Stress

It's no secret that stress is a big problem in modern life. But stress can also play an important role in food addiction. The fight-or-flight response we all know is an ancient response that keeps us safe. When the wolf is at the entrance of the cave, this reaction raises blood sugar, increases blood pressure and activates the immune system by inflammation. It all works perfectly in this scenario because once the threat is over, all these systems return to normal.

In modern life, however, stress comes from sources that do not necessarily disappear. A difficult work environment, a busy family schedule and other daily stressors are all examples of modern stressors. They cause the body to react the same way it would to a wolf, except that the threat does not disappear (or is quickly replaced by another).

Hormonal imbalances

Stress hormones play a role as mentioned above. But other hormones can also affect food addiction.

A 2015 study found that a deficiency of the hormone (GLP-1) causes overeating in mice, particularly in fatty foods. This is logical since fat is necessary for the synthesis of hormones. However, unhealthy fats that are readily available in processed foods are not the best building blocks for hormones. It would therefore make sense that eating these high-fat foods would not satisfy the body's need for hormonal fats (and allow the food addiction loop to continue).

The 2018 review previously discussed also found that there were differences in hormones (myelin, prolactin, thyroid-stimulating hormone) in participants who met the criteria for food addiction and those who did not. This suggests that hormones may play another role in food addiction. Yet researchers are calling for more research in this area.

Nutrient Deficiency/Food Poverty

Research published in 2010 shows that the nutrient density of foods is more important for dietary satiety than the number of calories.

So eating foods that are low in nutrients can cause more hunger. And eating more low-nutrient foods will only keep the cycle going.

In addition, cravings are often a sign that the body needs something. Hunger will persist until something is achieved. Foods that are low in nutrients are unlikely to give the body what it needs. Thus, the body will continue to search for food.

Emotional causes of food addiction

When food addiction has an emotional component, it can be more complex. Here are some of the emotional causes:

Inability to cope with negative emotions

Like recreational drugs, the feel-good factor of eating sweet, salty or fatty foods can mask negative emotions. Eating is a way to cope with these negative emotions as it provides the dopamine release that makes us feel so good. When we lack the skills to deal with negative emotions, it can be easier to turn to substances (including food!) for relief.

According to the journal Physiology & Behavior, food addiction is more about relieving or avoiding negative feelings than it is about seeking positive feelings.

Unmet needs

An article in Psychology Today states that food addiction is actually a desire for love and security, two things we all need. The article explains that many people who have emotional eating problems also have relationship problems because food and relationships are a way to seek out those feelings. However, using food for comfort, instead of finding a way to meet those needs, can be unhealthy.

Low self-esteem

Many people who have emotional eating problems or food addictions have low self-esteem, but it is not clear who caused the other. A 2001 study found that binge eating was associated with negative emotional characteristics such as depressionlow self-esteem and neurosis.

While we don't know if low self-esteem is a direct cause of food addiction, it can only help to address it.

What to do about food addiction?

Treatment for food addiction is complicated and often involves addressing more than one underlying cause. If you think you have a food addiction or emotional eating problem, talk to your health care provider about natural ways to reset cravings and stop emotional eating.

Sources:

Gordon, E., Ariel-Donges, A., Bauman, V., & Merlo, L. (2018). What is the evidence for "food addiction?": A systematic review. Nutrients, 10 (4), 477. doi: 10.3390 / nu10040477

Satiety. (North Dakota). Retrieved from https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/satiety

Parylak, SL, Koob, GF, & Zorrilla, EP (2011). The dark side of food addiction. Physiology & Behavior, 104 (1), 149-156. doi: 10.1016 / j.physbeh.2011.04.063

Database of measurement instruments for the social sciences. (North Dakota). Retrieved from http://www.midss.org/content/yale-food-addiction-scale-yfas