The Neurobiology of "Food Addiction" and Its Implications for Obesity Treatment and Policy.

Publisher: Annual Reviews Country of Publication: United States NLM ID: 8209988 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1545-4312 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 01999885 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Annu Rev Nutr Subsets: MEDLINE

Publication: Palo Alto Ca : Annual Reviews
Original Publication: Palo Alto, Calif. : Annual Reviews Inc., c1981-

Evidence-Based Medicine* ; Health Policy* ; Models, Neurological*; Behavior, Addictive/*psychology ; Obesity/*psychology ; Overweight/*psychology; Animals ; Behavior, Addictive/physiopathology ; Behavior, Addictive/therapy ; Biomedical Research/trends ; Diet, Healthy ; Energy Intake/drug effects ; Humans ; Neurobiology/methods ; Neurobiology/trends ; Neurocognitive Disorders/physiopathology ; Neurocognitive Disorders/prevention & control ; Neurocognitive Disorders/psychology ; Neurocognitive Disorders/therapy ; Nutrition Policy ; Obesity/physiopathology ; Obesity/prevention & control ; Obesity/therapy ; Overweight/physiopathology ; Overweight/prevention & control ; Overweight/therapy ; Reward

There is a growing view that certain foods, particularly those high in refined sugars and fats, are addictive and that some forms of obesity can usefully be treated as a food addiction. This perspective is supported by a growing body of neuroscience research demonstrating that the chronic consumption of energy-dense foods causes changes in the brain's reward pathway that are central to the development and maintenance of drug addiction. Obese and overweight individuals also display patterns of eating behavior that resemble the ways in which addicted individuals consume drugs. We critically review the evidence that some forms of obesity or overeating could be considered a food addiction and argue that the use of food addiction as a diagnostic category is premature. We also examine some of the potential positive and negative clinical, social, and public policy implications of describing obesity as a food addiction that require further investigation.

Keywords: food addiction; neuroscience; obesity; policy; stigma; treatment

Date Created: 20160615 Date Completed: 20170720 Latest Revision: 20191210

20240628

10.1146/annurev-nutr-071715-050909

27296500