New study - Compulsive Eating and Addiction
MONDAY, April 4 (HealthDay News) -- People who are compulsive eaters show similar activity in the same brain regions as people who are addicted to drugs or alcohol, according to new research.
In particular, exposure to certain food "cues" -- in this case, pictures of a chocolate milk shake -- activated the brain's reward circuitry.
"This confirms that addiction to food is tied into reward centers," said Bonnie Levin, associate professor of neurology and director, division of neuropsychology at the University of Miami School of Medicine. "It's a biologically driven process, not just a behavioral problem."
http://www.businessweek.com/lifestyle/content/healthday/6515 97.html
Same study on another siteCompulsive Eating and Substance Dependence Share Similar Brain Patterns
Previous research has identified similar patterns of brain activity in obese and substance-dependent people, which has led to the theory that some people may be addicted to high-calorie foods, but no previous studies have explored whether lean as well as obese individuals who exhibit symptoms of addictive eating behavior have neural responses similar to those of drug addicts.
In the current study, 48 healthy adolescent women ranging from lean to obese completed the Yale Food Addiction Scale (YFAS), which applies the diagnostic criteria for substance dependence to eating behavior. Next, using brain-imaging procedures such as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), the study examined the relation of food addiction symptoms, as assessed by the YFAS, with the women’s brain activity in response to food-related tasks. The first task looked at how the brain responded to cues signaling the impending delivery of a highly palatable food (chocolate milkshake) versus cues signaling the impending delivery of a tasteless control solution. The second test looked at brain activity during the actual intake of the chocolate milkshake versus the tasteless solution.
Both lean and obese participants with higher food addiction scores showed different brain activity patterns than those with lower food addiction scores. In response to the anticipated receipt of food, participants with higher food addiction scores showed greater activity in parts of the brain responsible for cravings and the motivation to eat, but less activity in the regions responsible for inhibiting urges such as the desire to drink a milkshake. Thus, similar to drug addicts, individuals exhibiting signs of food addiction may struggle with increased cravings and stronger motivations to eat in response to food cues and may feel more out-of-control when eating highly palatable foods.
http://dailybulletin.yale.edu/article.aspx?id=8405
Neural Correlates of Food Addiction
Arch Gen Psychiatry. Published online April 4, 2011. doi:10.1001/archgenpsychiatry.2011.32
Context Research has implicated an addictive process in the development and maintenance of obesity. Although parallels in neural functioning between obesity and substance dependence have been found, to our knowledge, no studies have examined the neural correlates of addictive-like eating behavior.
Objective To test the hypothesis that elevated "food addiction" scores are associated with similar patterns of neural activation as substance dependence.
Design Between-subjects functional magnetic resonance imaging study.
Setting A university neuroimaging center.
Participants Forty-eight healthy young women ranging from lean to obese recruited for a healthy weight maintenance trial.
Main Outcome Measure The relation between elevated food addiction scores and blood oxygen level–dependent functional magnetic resonance imaging activation in response to receipt and anticipated receipt of palatable food (chocolate milkshake).
Results Food addiction scores (N = 39) correlated with greater activation in the anterior cingulate cortex, medial orbitofrontal cortex, and amygdala in response to anticipated receipt of food (P < .05, false discovery rate corrected for multiple comparisons in small volumes). Participants with higher (n = 15) vs lower (n = 11) food addiction scores showed greater activation in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and the caudate in response to anticipated receipt of food but less activation in the lateral orbitofrontal cortex in response to receipt of food (false discovery rate–corrected P < .05).
Conclusions Similar patterns of neural activation are implicated in addictive-like eating behavior and substance dependence: elevated activation in reward circuitry in response to food cues and reduced activation of inhibitory regions in response to food intake.
I think this research is very important in helping to understand why some of us fall into crossover addictions after WLS while others are not affected at all. It also helps to explain why some might have more difficulty with regain after the honeymoon period is over.
We become obese for different reasons. Some are compulsive over eaters, but others aren't.
