Fighting Addictions to Food

Millions of people suffer from the symptoms and consequences of America's most common, undiagnosed and untreated obsession -- food addiction. In response, innumerable supposed "cures" in the form of diets, weight-loss programs and pills have made their way to the marketplace. The history of food addiction treatment is similar to the sad history of drug addiction treatment: confusing and questionable theories backed by money-making scams that have been perpetrated upon vulnerable, suffering people.

A Mixed-up Message

The next time you pass through the checkout lane at the grocery, take notice of the magazine covers. Each highlights a diet promise such as, "Lose 10 Pounds in 10 Days," "Get Ready for the Beach with the Grapefruit Diet" or "Lose that Tummy with our Movie Star Diet." And on the same cover, you'll find a picture of the biggest double-chocolate layer cake you've ever seen. The conflicted message here is the same consumer who wants to lose 50 pounds also wants to eat that cake.

The World of Diets

In all fairness, some overweight people who adopt one of the hundreds of diets promoted by magazines, books, physicians, dietitians and the media will be successful, at least in the short term. But there are many more who have tried many of these diets and yet continue to struggle with their weight. Are these people weak-willed or emotionally unstable? No, they suffer from food addiction.

Food addiction is the result of an abnormal metabolism of certain foods, which produces a mood elevation that, in turn, creates a craving for more of those same foods. So, just like drugs, certain foods in certain people produce a "high" that is then repeatedly pursued. The problem with most popular "diets" is that they include these addictive foods, which assures the continuance of craving and the ultimate failure of the diet.

Unfortunately, but understandably, most people blame this failure on a lack of commitment, poor will power or emotional instability, without realizing that the effort was ill-fated from the start. In the same way, the drug addict's plan for quitting cocaine by using marijuana instead, and the alcoholic's plan to give up whiskey by drinking "just beer," are doomed from the beginning.

Research has revealed the cause of food addiction resides not within one's personality, but within the brain. For some people, refined carbohydrates such as sugar and flour cause an abnormal rise in certain "feel good" brain chemicals, and dopamine appears to be a primary culprit in this process While everyone experiences the benefits of dopamine in various ways, certain people produce an abnormal amount of this chemical after eating certain foods.

This explains why some people can comfortable eat just one piece of pie, while others experience the phenomenon of chemically-driven cravings. The cravings them compel them to eat even more of those mood-altering foods. However, When that rise in dopamine comes back down, the person is left with feelings of fatigue, anxiety, depression, restlessness and, yes, cravings. The natural response, then, is to eat more of those addictive foods to relieve those uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms. And so the vicious cycle continues.

In the next installment, I will discuss the diagnosis and treatment of food addiction.