Running head: ARE HIGH-CALORIE FOODS ADDICTIVE?

Are High-Calorie Foods Addictive?

Shalinn M. Weaver

Seton Hill University

Due Date: March 17, 2022

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Abstract

Research shows that high-calorie foods can be addictive and can lead to food addiction.

Eating high-calorie foods releases dopamine and when the dopamine wears off, the individual

looks for more food to satisfy the withdrawal symptoms. The study conducted by

Aviram-Friedman, Kafri, Alyagon, and Zangen proves that the brains of people with food

addiction are similar to those with substance use disorder. Though the exact ingredient that might

cause food addiction is unknown, researchers are finding that processed foods may be to blame.

Researchers and scientists are working to find specific information to help get food addiction in

the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders as well as treatments to help with food

addiction.
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Is it possible for people to become addicted to a substance they need to keep themselves

alive? Science explains that the brain is partially responsible for food addiction and is similar to

those with substance use disorder. There are many theories out there, and one study proves some

of those theories to be true.

What is food addiction? It is believed that food addiction can possibly play a role in

obesity. The clinical concept of eating and food addiction has been proposed in the last decade to

explain why some obese people are resistant to traditional weight-loss programs

(Aviram-Friedman, Kafri, Alyagon, & Zangen, 2020). In fact, two-thirds of the American

population is either overweight or obese. A key contribution to this problem is the abundance

and accessibility of calorie-dense, low-micronutrient foods (Fuhrman, 2019). It is known that

early humans benefited from consuming large amounts of calorie-rich foods since it allowed

them to store enough energy to survive periods of scarcity; however, in modern times, the same

desire for calorie-dense foods has been linked to obesity, type 2 diabetes, and other chronic

diseases (Fuhrman, 2019). Such calorie-dense foods are readily available to us at convenience

stores, gas stations, restaurants, food delivery applications, and grocery stores, making it more

difficult for people to select a more nutrient-dense option. Although the concept of food

addiction is starting to become recognized, it is not yet recognized in the Diagnostic and

Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Fifth Edition (DSM-5) since it is not under a clear

consensus (Aviram-Friedman et al., 2020). As the concept of food addiction spreads, hopefully

there will be an addition to the DSM-5 specifically for food addiction.

For the DSM-5 to adopt food addiction, there needs to be more research, especially with

specific foods. The exact ingredient that causes food addiction has not been identified. Highly
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palatable foods are foods that are high in fat, salt, and sugar (Goodman, 2020). With processed

foods, it is easy to create foods that are high in all three (fat, salt, and sugar) to make the food

more palatable, hijacking our brain’s reward system. A study conducted by researchers found

that people were most likely to overeat the following foods: chocolate, ice cream, cookies, cake,

french fries, pizza, cheeseburgers, and chips (Cleveland Clinic, 2021). Most of these foods are

what we like to call “comfort foods.” There is a difference between overeating and compulsively

overeating. Compulsive overeating is a form of behavioral addiction in which a person becomes

obsessed with an activity that gives them a great deal of satisfaction (Cleveland Clinic, 2021).

This can also be referred to as Binge-eating Disorder. Evidence shows that the “neurological

underpinnings of compulsively eating highly palatable foods are similar to those of addiction to

heroin or cocaine” (Fuhrman, 2019). Essentially, those that compulsively overeat feel the same

happiness as those who are addicted to drugs due to the release of a chemical responsible for

making us feel good, called dopamine. The activation of the brain’s reward system, use of the

substance or action despite negative consequences, loss of control, tolerance, and withdrawal are

all indicators of addiction (Fuhrman, 2019). At that point, it is difficult for someone with an

addiction, drugs or food, to cut back or stop that behavior.

Diving deeper into the brain, dopamine is the brain’s reward center and it also plays a

part in the decisions we make. As the dopamine starts to wear off, the person feels the need to

seek out that happy chemical by eating more, leading to overeating. Scientists have linked these

effects to a reduction in dopamine D2 receptors in brain regions where lower numbers of

dopamine D2 receptors have been found in obese people and women with bulimia compared to

that of lean people (Fuhrman, 2019). With that finding, that shows that the brain is also
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responsible for food addiction. Those neurotransmitters can override other brain signals that

signal them they’re full or satiated in people who are predisposed to addiction, which can lead to

a cycle of overeating (Cleveland Clinic, 2021). Once you are in that cycle, it is very difficult to

get out. These people may build a tolerance to the foods they are addicted to over time,

prompting them to consume more and more of them in order to experience the same amount of

pleasure (Cleveland Clinic, 2021). Thus, leading to the brain’s reward system becoming less

responsive to the amount of highly palatable foods consumed and building a tolerance, which

can be explained through theories regarding the brain and how it functions.

There are theories to how the brain can contribute to food addiction. There is a theory

about how we can condition our brain similar to how Ivan Pavlov conditioned dogs with food,

except the bell is replaced with cravings. Another theory states that individuals continue to

overeat due to “dysfunctional activity in the brain regions involved in higher-order control

functions, which are under the command of inhibitory control regions in the prefrontal cortex”

(Aviram-Friedman et al., 2020). There is one more theory that this study put to the test. There

were speculations about how individuals with “left-sided brain prefrontal asymmetry” are more

likely to seek out experiences that generate a reward compared to individuals with “right-sided

brain prefrontal asymmetry” that are more likely to avoid experiences that generate punishment

and/or a reward (Aviram-Friedman et al., 2020). The hypothesis was that those with the

left-sided prefrontal asymmetry had the characteristics of compulsively overeating and were not

able to control their intake of food. The presence of left prefrontal cortex asymmetry as a

possible mediator of the connection between attention bias to highly rewarding food and a high

body mass index (BMI) has been found in females ranging from lean to obese (Aviram-Friedman
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et al., 2020). People with obesity and Binge-eating Disorder have higher left-hemispheric

regional cerebral blood flow in response to rewarding food (Aviram-Friedman et al., 2020).

These theories show that the function of the brain can be responsible and contribute to food

addiction.

To further test these theories, a study using Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation

(TMS), the Yale Food Addiction Scale (YFAS), and a Food Stroop task were able to make

remarkable findings. The YFAS helped researcher split all 66 participant, except the 18 control

participants, into either the food addicted overweight and obese (FAOB) or non-food addicted

overweight and obese (NFAOB) categories. To summarize, a Stroop Word test is where there are

names of colors presented in the same color as the word or a different color. For example, the

study used the colors red, yellow, green, and blue on their keyboard. The word “red” might pop

up in the color red or any of the other three colors. The study also had the test set to have words

such as “purple,” they called a “neutral” word, projected onto the screen. The Food Stroop task

was administered with TMS and consisted of a target in the middle of the screen, followed by a

picture. The picture could be one of three things: a high calorie food (HCF), low calorie food

(LCF), or a nonfood (NF) item such as a chair. This study found that the FAOB group showed

lower left alpha brain asymmetry scores in the frontal and occipital region of interest, meaning

their brains are left-sided asymmetrical (Aviram-Friedman et al., 2020). The study also found

that the overweight and obese participants expressed an emotional reaction and cravings toward

the HCF pictures. As suspected, food addicted individuals’ brains’ are wired similar to those of

substance abuse disorder.

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Even though food addiction is not yet recognized as a disorder, it is important to

recognize the signs and symptoms. According to Goodman (2020), there are at least eight signs

that are as followed: eating consistently past the point of being full, sneaking or hiding eating

behaviors, feeling out of control around certain foods, thinking or stressing about food everyday,

finding other once- pleasurable activities less enjoyable, going out of your way to get certain

foods when they aren’t readily available, avoiding social or professional situations because of

food, and continuing these behaviors despite their negative consequences. Can food addiction be

treated? There unfortunately is not a direct answer for this. Many of the sources recommend

working with a psychiatrist, psychologist, and/or nutritionist who is educated in regards to food

addiction. Aviram-Friedman et al. (2020) explained that TMS may help to rebalance hemispheric

symmetry in obesity with food addiction as well as neurocognitive training. Similar to

Alcoholics Anonymous, there are food addiction support groups out there. Food Addicts in

Recovery Anonymous is based on the 12-step program that has helped people addicted to drugs

and alcohol while Food Addicts Anonymous uses the same 12-step program along with strict

diets that advise people to avoid ingredients such as sugar, refined flour, and wheat (Goodman,

2020). Researchers and scientists are working hard to better understand food addiction and how

to treat it.

Despite growing research, there is still not a lot of information in regards to food

addiction. The findings that are out there definitely help to get diagnostic tools into the DSM-5.

All findings come to the same conclusion; people can become addicted to food, especially

high-calorie foods.
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References

Aviram-Friedman, R., Kafri, L., Baz, G., Alyagon, U., & Zangen, A. (2020). Prisoners of

Addictive Cues: Biobehavioral Markers of Overweight and Obese Adults with Food

Addiction. Nutrients, 12(11). https://doi.org/10.3390/nu12113563.

Cleveland Clinic. (2021, March 3). Why are certain foods so addictive? Cleveland Clinic.

Retrieved March 7, 2022, from

https://health.clevelandclinic.org/why-are-certain-foods-so-addictive/.

Fuhrman, J. (2019, February 1). How do unhealthy foods trigger addiction and weight gain? Dr.

Fuhrman. Retrieved March 12, 2022, from

https://www.drfuhrman.com/blog/167/unhealthy-food-triggers-addiction-leading-to-weig

ht-gain.

Goodman, B. (2020, July 17). Food addiction signs and treatments. WebMD. Retrieved March 8,

2022, from

https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/eating-disorders/binge-eating-disorder/mental-he

alth-food-addiction.