Vera Tarman in Frontiers in Psychiatry 2024 Nov 13;15:1488769. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1488769. From the study’s abstract: “Addiction is a complex neurobiological disorder characterized by compulsive drug-seeking and use despite harmful consequences. While abstinence-based approaches have long been the cornerstone of addiction treatment, recent years have seen legitimate challenges from harm reduction clinicians, and within the food addiction realm, the eating disorder treatment practitioners. This perspective emphasizes the role of abstinence in food addiction recovery using the Koob model and its concept of hyperkatifeia despite these reservations.”
Ultra-Processed Foods and Mental Health: Where Do Eating Disorders Fit into the Puzzle?
Wiss DA, LaFata EM. Ultra-Processed Foods and Mental Health: Where Do Eating Disorders Fit into the Puzzle? Nutrients. 2024 Jun 19;16(12):1955. doi: 10.3390/nu16121955. PMID: 38931309; PMCID: PMC11206753. From the abstract: “Specifically, the authors will (1) describe how corporate-sponsored research and financial agendas have contributed to contention and debate about the role of UPFs in health; (2) define UPFs and their nutritional characteristics; (3) review observed associations between UPF intake and mental health conditions, especially with depression; (4) outline the evidence for UPFA; and (5) describe nuanced treatment considerations for comorbid UPFA and eating disorders.”
Dismantling the myth of “all foods fit” in eating disorder treatment
Brewerton TD, Dennis K, Wiss DA. Dismantling the myth of “all foods fit” in eating disorder treatment. J Eat Disord. 2024 May 17;12(1):60. doi: 10.1186/s40337-024-01017-9. PMID: 38760858; PMCID: PMC11102136. Excerpt from Letter to Editor: “… there is an almost monolithic belief or proclamation within the ED field that “there are no bad foods” when it comes to the nutritional rehabilitation of all patients with all forms of EDs. … The well-intentioned assertion that “all foods fit” persists in the anti-diet culture movement despite mounting evidence substantiating the association of ultra-processed foods with negative physical and mental health outcomes.”
Editorial: Neurobiology of Food Addiction
Carine Lampert, Department of Neurobiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, US, and Marta G. Novelle, Department of Genetics, Physiology, and Microbiology (Unit of Animal Physiology), Faculty of Biology, Complutense University, Madrid, Spain; Front. Behav. Neurosci., 05 November 2023, Sec. Motivation and Reward Volume 17 – 2023 | doi.org/10.3389/fnbeh.2023.1285557 From the editorial: “Overall, the multidimensional exploration of Food Addiction through genetic, neural, and sensory lenses provides valuable insights into the intricate mechanisms underlying addictive behaviors.” Study link
The fructose survival hypothesis for obesity
Johnson, R. J., Lanaspa, M. A., Sanchez-Lozada, L. G., Tolan, D., Nakagawa, T., Ishimoto, T., Andres-Hernando, A., Rodriguez-Iturbe, B., & Stenvinkel, P. (2023). The fructose survival hypothesis for obesity. Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences, 378(1885), 20220230. https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2022.0230 The fructose survival hypothesis proposes that obesity and metabolic disorders may have developed from over-stimulation of an evolutionary-based biologic response (survival switch) that aims to protect animals in advance of crisis. The response is characterized by hunger, thirst, foraging, weight gain, fat accumulation, insulin resistance, systemic inflammation and increased blood pressure. The process is initiated by the ingestion of fructose or by stimulating endogenous fructose production via the polyol pathway. Unlike other nutrients, fructose reduces the active energy (adenosine triphosphate) in the cell, while blocking its regeneration from fat stores. This is mediated by intracellular uric acid, mitochondrial oxidative stress, the inhibition of AMP kinase and stimulation of vasopressin. Mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation is suppressed, and glycolysis stimulated. While this response is aimed to be modest and short-lived, the response in humans is exaggerated due to gain of ‘thrifty genes’ coupled with a western diet rich in foods that contain or generate fructose. We propose excessive fructose metabolism not only explains obesity but the epidemics of diabetes, hypertension, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, obesity-associated cancers, vascular and Alzheimer’s dementia, and even ageing. Moreover, the hypothesis unites current hypotheses on obesity. Reducing activation and/or blocking this pathway and stimulating mitochondrial regeneration may benefit health-span. This article is part of a discussion meeting issue ‘Causes of obesity: theories, conjectures and evidence (Part I)’. rstb.2022.0230.pdf
Sugar Addiction: Neural Mechanisms and Health Implications
Di Qin, Jiayu Qi, Fuqiang Shi, Zhihua Guo, Hongwu Li; Sugar Addiction: Neural Mechanisms and Health Implications; https://doi.org/10.1002/brb3.70338 Conclusion: “High-sugar intake stimulates the reward center in the brain, releasing dopamine, which produces a feeling of pleasure similar to the physiological mechanisms of drug addiction. Long-term consumption of high-sugar-containing foods increases sugar cravings, withdrawal symptoms, mood swings, and psychological dependence on sugar. Sugar addiction leads to obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and other health problems that are harmful to the physical health of individuals.”Study link
Low carbohydrate and psychoeducational programs show promise for the treatment of ultra-processed food addiction
Unwin J, Delon C, Giæver H, Kennedy C, Painschab M, Sandin F, Poulsen CS, Wiss DA. Low carbohydrate and psychoeducational programs show promise for the treatment of ultra-processed food addiction. Front Psychiatry. 2022 Sep 28;13:1005523. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.1005523. PMID: 36245868; PMCID: PMC9554504. From the reviews abstract: “Growing numbers of clinicians are offering services to individuals on the basis that the food addiction construct has clinical utility. This audit reports on clinical teams across three locations offering a common approach to programs delivered online.”
The Complicated Relationship between Dieting, Dietary Restraint, Caloric Restriction, and Eating Disorders: Is a Shift in Public Health Messaging Warranted?
Stewart TM, Martin CK, Williamson DA. The Complicated Relationship between Dieting, Dietary Restraint, Caloric Restriction, and Eating Disorders: Is a Shift in Public Health Messaging Warranted? Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Jan 3;19(1):491. doi: 10.3390/ijerph19010491. PMID: 35010751; PMCID: PMC8745028. From the conclusion: Results of controlled trials of intensive lifestyle interventions for weight management in adults, weight gain prevention, and eating disorder prevention in young people have failed to support the hypotheses of harmful effects caused by intent to diet or actual caloric restriction. Thus, neither the intention to diet nor actual caloric restriction appears to reliably result in ED development. Rather, the results of these studies have consistently shown that healthy eating, exercise, and appropriate energy balance behaviors, without the promotion of negative body image, shaming or stigma, can be safe and effective for the enhancement of physical and mental health. [Emphasis added.]
Psychological and Neurobiological Correlates of Food Addiction
Kalon, E, Hong, J.Y., Tobin, C, Schulte, T. Psychological and Neurobiological Correlates of Food Addiction Int Rev Neurobiol. 2016 ; 129: 85–110. https://doi.org/10.1016/bs.irn.2016.06.003 Useful background on how FA affects different areas of brain nihms876222 .pdf
Association between fasting blood glucose levels and stroke events: a large-scale community-based cohort study from China
Zhang Y, Gu S, Wang C, Liu D, Zhang Q, Yang M, Zhou Z, Zuo H. Association between fasting blood glucose levels and stroke events: a large-scale community-based cohort study from China. BMJ Open. 2021 Aug 18;11(8):e050234. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2021-050234 PMID: 34408054 higher FBG levels are associated with an increased stroke in the general population and meta-analysis corroborated this finding. Furthermore, we observed that the association was more prominent in women than in men. We also observed strong risk associations among postmenopausal or oophorectomy women. FBG levels as a routine and low-cost measurement could be used to identify individuals with higher stroke risk in the future. bmjopen-2021-050234 .pdf