Gearhardt, A. N., et al. (2013). Preliminary validation of the Yale Food Addiction Scale for children. Eat Behav, 14(4), 508–512. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eatbeh.2013.07.002 From the validation study’s abstract: “If highly processed foods also have addictive potential, children may be more susceptible to this effect than adults due to neural and psychological vulnerabilities.”
Stress and addiction
Hildebrandt, T., & Greif, R. (2013). Stress and addiction. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 38(9), 1923–1927. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psyneuen.2013.06.017 From the research article’s abstract: “Appetitive behaviors such as substance use and eating are under significant regulatory control by the hypothalamic-pituitary adrenal (HPA) and hypothalamic pituitary gonadal (HPG) axes. Recent research has begun to examine how these systems interact to cause and maintain poor regulation of these appetitive behaviors. A range of potential molecular, neuroendocrine, and hormonal mechanisms are involved in these interactions and may explain individual differences in both risk and resilience to a range of addictions. This manuscript provides a commentary on research presented during the International Society of Psychoneuroendocrinology’s mini-conference on sex differences in eating and addiction with an emphasis on how HPG and HPA axis interactions affect appetitive behaviors in classic addictions and may be used to help inform the ongoing debate about the validity of food addiction.”
Relationship of food addiction to weight loss and attrition during obesity treatment
Lent, M. R., Eichen, D. M., Goldbacher, E., Wadden, T. A., & Foster, G. D. (2014). Relationship of food addiction to weight loss and attrition during obesity treatment. Obesity, 22(1), 52–55. https://doi.org/10.1002/oby.20512 From the research article’s abstract: “The relationship between food addiction (FA) and weight and attrition outcomes in overweight and obese adults participating in weight loss interventions were prospectively examined in this study. Participants were 178 adults (51.2 ± 11.7 y, 36.1 ± 4.8 kg/m²) in one of two outpatient weight loss treatment programs for approximately 6 months. The Yale Food Addiction Scale (YFAS) assessed FA diagnosis and symptom count. The relationship between FA and weight loss and attrition was assessed. After controlling for treatment arm, gender, and baseline weight, there was no effect of FA status on weight loss (P = 0.17) or attrition (P = 0.37). Similarly, baseline FA symptom count was not associated with weight loss (P = 0.14) or attrition (P = 0.10). Neither FA status nor symptom count affects weight loss or attrition during weight loss treatment.”
The neurobiological underpinnings of obesity and binge eating: A rationale for adopting the Food Addiction model
Smith DG, Robbins TW. The neurobiological underpinnings of obesity and binge eating: A rationale for adopting the food addiction model. Biol Psychiatry 2013;73(9): 804-10. Abstract: The Food Addiction model of overeating has been proposed to help explain the widespread advancement of obesity over the last 30 years. Parallels in neural substrates and neurochemistry, as well as corresponding motivational and behavioral traits, are increasingly coming to light; however, there are still key differences between the two disorders that must be acknowledged. We critically examine these common and divergent characteristics using the theoretical framework of prominent drug addiction models, investigating the neurobiological underpinnings of both behaviors in an attempt to justify whether classification of obesity and binge eating as an addictive disorder is merited. Study link
An Introduction to the Special Issue
Small, D. M., & DiLeone, R. J. (2013). An introduction to the special issue. Biological Psychiatry, 73(9), 799-801. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biopsych.2013.03.007 From the research article’s abstract: “It has long been acknowledged that there are overlapping neural circuits for food and drugs of abuse. In particular, regions of the brain and intracellular signaling cascades implicated in processing the reinforcing effects of food also appear to regulate the consumption of addictive drugs (1–3). What is being ardently debated is whether overlapping substrates imply that food is, or can be, addictive (4,5). This is a critical question because it is attractive to use the addiction framework to jump-start and guide our understanding of how neural circuits of reward and self-control might contribute to understanding overeating and the obesity epidemic. However, the price of adopting an inappropriate framework is high, as it might steer research toward evaluating mechanisms that have been shown to be critical for addiction at the expense of those that are unique to obesity and perhaps key to understanding overeating.”
Does a Shared Neurobiology for Foods and Drugs of Abuse Contribute to Extremes of Food Ingestion in Anorexia and Bulimia Nervosa?
Kaye, W. H., Wierenga, C. E., Bailer, U. F., Simmons, A. N., Wagner, A., & Bischoff-Grethe, A. (2013). Does a shared neurobiology for foods and drugs of abuse contribute to extremes of food ingestion in anorexia and bulimia nervosa? Biological Psychiatry, 73(9), 836–842. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biopsych.2013.01.002 From the research article’s abstract: “Is starvation in anorexia nervosa (AN) or overeating in bulimia nervosa (BN) a form of addiction? Alternatively, why are individuals with BN more vulnerable and individuals with AN protected from substance abuse? Such questions have been generated by recent studies suggesting that there are overlapping neural circuits for foods and drugs of abuse. To determine whether a shared neurobiology contributes to eating disorders and substance abuse, this review focused on imaging studies that investigated response to tastes of food and tasks designed to characterize reward and behavioral inhibition in AN and BN. BN and those with substance abuse disorders may share dopamine D2 receptor–related vulnerabilities, and opposite findings may contribute to “protection” from substance abuse in AN.
If Sugar is Addictive, What Does it Mean for the Law?
Gearhardt, A., Roberts, M., Ashe, M. (2013). If Sugar is Addictive, What Does it Mean for the Law? Journal of Law, Medicine and Ethics 41(S1) 46-49, https://doi.org/10.1111/jlme.12038 “… the objective here is to propose an analytical framework that recognizes the role of politics and regulatory philosophy in evaluating the legal tools that could be employed if sugar-addiction research gains traction. This limited analysis seeks to raise core issues and stimulate a more robust and thorough discussion. gearhardt2013sugarlaw .pdf
Exploration of “Food Addiction” in overweight and obese treatment-seeking adults
Eichen, D. M., et al. (2013). Exploration of “food addiction” in overweight and obese treatment-seeking adults. Appetite, 67, 22–24. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2013.03.008 From the study’s results: “Most were female (74.7%) and African American (69.1%). There were no differences in BMI, age, race, or gender between participants with and without FA.”
Does a Shared Neurobiology for Foods and Drugs of Abuse Contribute to Extremes of Food Ingestion in Anorexia and Bulimia Nervosa?
Kaye, W. H., Wierenga, C. E., Bailer, U. F., Simmons, A. N., Wagner, A., & Bischoff-Grethe, A. (2013). Does a shared neurobiology for foods and drugs of abuse contribute to extremes of food ingestion in anorexia and bulimia nervosa?. Biological psychiatry, 73(9), 836–842. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biopsych.2013.01.002 From the literature review’s abstract: “BN and those with substance abuse disorders may share dopamine D2 receptor–related vulnerabilities and imaging studies provide insights into executive corticostriatal processes related to extraordinary inhibition and self-control in AN and diminished inhibitory self-control in BN.”
The Addictive Dimensionality of Obesit
Volkow, N. D., Wang, G. J., Tomasi, D., & Baler, R. D. (2013). The addictive dimensionality of obesity. Biological Psychiatry, 73(9), 811–818. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biopsych.2012.12.020 From the research article’s abstract: “Our brains are hardwired to respond and seek immediate rewards. Thus, it is not surprising that many people overeat, which in some can result in obesity, whereas others take drugs, which in some can result in addiction. Though food intake and body weight are under homeostatic regulation, when highly palatable food is available, the ability to resist the urge to eat hinges on self-control. There is no homeostatic regulator to check the intake of drugs (including alcohol); thus, regulation of drug consumption is mostly driven by self-control or unwanted effects (i.e., sedation for alcohol). Disruption in both the neurobiological processes that underlie sensitivity to reward and those that underlie inhibitory control can lead to compulsive food intake in some individuals and compulsive drug intake in others.