What Causes Food Addiction?

Considering alternative theories behind the cause of rapidly rising obesity rates have led some scientists, such as Dr. Kelly Brownell, director of the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity, to consider whether certain individuals are predisposed to compulsive behavior regarding their eating habits. This compulsion has been coined by the scientific community as a "food addiction." Although some controversy exists over whether food addiction is a legitimate addition to the existing subset of addiction disorders, support for such has been met with increasing acceptance by a range of doctors and scientists.

Definition

• Food addition is identified by a loss of personal control, whereby despite understanding the harmfulness of their behavior, the individual is nonetheless compelled to continue. Despite popular misconception, not all food addicts are overweight. Individuals suffering from food addiction can come from a variety of backgrounds. The only real common denominator is their unhealthy and obsessive food-related behavior.

Symptoms

• Identifying a food addict is accomplished through asking the individual a series of questions to determine the extent of their behavior and whether it crosses the sometimes murky delineation between normal and addict.

  Some questions include:

  Do you eat differently when alone as opposed to when in front of others?
  Have you ever engaged in binging and purging behavior?
  Do you eat despite a lack of hunger?
  Do you eat in response to feelings of depression?

  Answering affirmatively to any of the above questions indicates a potential addiction to food.

Types

• Food addictions come in a variety of flavors. The three most prevalent are compulsive overeating, bulimia nervosa and anorexia nervosa.

  The hallmark of compulsive overeating is periods of uncontrollable excess, where the individual is unable to control their rate or manner of food intake. This will manifest in periods where the affected eats at a rapid pace, continuing past the point of satiety. Psychological effects often bleed over into periods of non-food consumption, as the addict finds himself secretly planning or fantasizing about future consumption.

  Bulimia nervosa has all the characteristics of compulsive eating, however, the binge cycles are followed by periods of purging. Purging can occur through the use of self-induced vomiting or laxatives.

  The polar opposite to compulsive eating is anorexia nervosa. Anorexic behavior involves a fear of gaining fat, coupled with a distorted body image whereby despite being underweight, the afflicted is nevertheless convinced they must continually lose weight.

Causes

• No one really knows what causes food addiction. Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, has put forward a theory involving impairment of the dopamine systems of the brain, which would increase vulnerability to compulsive behavior patterns. It is also suggested that compulsive eating behaviors are learned throughout childhood and manifest as coping mechanisms for stress. As the problem involves both psychological and physiological markers, it is difficult to pin down exactly where the line between normal behavior and addiction is drawn, and what triggers one to move from one side of the spectrum to the other.

Treatment

• Professional counseling is recommended for those suffering from any type of food addiction. Through consistent efforts with trained professionals, the triggers that cause the patient's food addiction can be identified and, in time, eliminated. However, the first step to curing any deviant behavior pattern involves individual recognition that a problem exists. Through self-awareness coupled with professional assistance, one can break the ties that bind and be free from a lifetime of addictive behavior.