Addiction to Unhealthy Foods Could Help
Explain the Global Obesity Epidemic, Research Suggests
Research presented today
shows that high-fructose corn syrup can cause behavioural reactions in rats
similar to those produced by drugs of abuse such as cocaine.
These results, presented by addiction expert Francesco Leri, Associate Professor of Neuroscience and Applied Cognitive Science at the University of Guelph, suggest food addiction could explain, at least partly, the current global obesity epidemic.
These results, presented by addiction expert Francesco Leri, Associate Professor of Neuroscience and Applied Cognitive Science at the University of Guelph, suggest food addiction could explain, at least partly, the current global obesity epidemic.
These results were presented at the 2013 Canadian Neuroscience Meeting, the annual meeting of the Canadian Association for Neuroscience -- Association Canadienne des Neurosciences (CAN-ACN).
The "Food
Addiction" hypothesis suggests one could be addicted to food just as one
is addicted to drugs of abuse. To test this hypothesis, Dr. Leri studies the
response of rats to foods containing unnaturally high concentrations of sugar,
fats and taste enhancers, such as high-fructose corn syrup and foods like Oreo
cookies.
Increased availability
of such highly-palatable foods could partly explain the high incidence of
obesity around the world, but simple availability does not explain why some
people are obese and others are not, given the same amount of available food.
Dr. Leri, and others, suggest one important factor could be individual
differences in vulnerability to addiction.
Surveys of consumption of cocaine show that though many individuals try these drugs, only a small percentage of them become addicted. Dr. Leri wanted to know if the same could be true of "addictive foods." "We have evidence in laboratory animals of a shared vulnerability to develop preferences for sweet foods and for cocaine" says Leri.
Surveys of consumption of cocaine show that though many individuals try these drugs, only a small percentage of them become addicted. Dr. Leri wanted to know if the same could be true of "addictive foods." "We have evidence in laboratory animals of a shared vulnerability to develop preferences for sweet foods and for cocaine" says Leri.
Dr. Leri investigated
the behavioural, chemical and neurobiological changes induced by consumption of
"addictive foods" in the bodies and brains of rats. "We are not
rats, but our children do not think too much about the impact of sweets on
their brain and behaviour. There is now convincing neurobiological and
behavioural evidence indicating that addiction to food is possible. Our primary
objective is to discover biological predictors of vulnerability to develop
excessive consumption of high fructose corn syrup ," says Leri.
Dr. Leri's findings
could lead to novel pharmacological interventions for obese individuals that
could help them selectively reduce intake of unhealthy foods. This knowledge
could also help increase the public's understanding of the effects of unhealthy
food choices. An effective strategy to combat obesity is to educate people
about the causes and consequences of their choices.
Background on obesity
More than 1.4 billion
people were classified as overweight in 2008, and of those, 500 million were
considered obese. The worldwide incidence of obesity has more than doubled
since 1980. The World Health Organization uses the term "globesity"
to qualify this epidemic, which is present in all parts of the globe, and not
only in industrialized societies. Obesity poses major health risks: diabetes,
cardiovascular diseases, hypertension and stroke and certain forms of cancer
are all more prevalent in obese individuals.
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Canadian Association for
Neuroscience (2013, May 22). Addiction to unhealthy foods could help explain
the global obesity epidemic, research suggests. ScienceDaily.
Retrieved May 22, 2013, from http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/05/130522095807.htm