Food addiction: a valid concept?

Question 1

No clear consensus has yet emerged on the validity of the concept of ‘food addiction’. Some have argued that the concept is unsupported, while others have argued that food and drug addiction share similar features and that it is a legitimate clinical entity distinct from other patterns of disordered eating.

Answer 1

oke

Question 2

arguments against food addiction

Answer 2

1. while the term food addiction may indicate distress and helplessness, there is no evidence for addiction similar to SUD
   - no tolerance
   - no withdrawal
2. studies showed that manipulation of high fat and sugar food availability provokes addiction-like patterns in rats. but results have not been translated to humans (questioned if this will happen, because our environments are constantly filled with this availability)
3. no convincing evidence for changes in the brain in food addicted people. findings that obese people would have reduced D2 receptor density were not replicated.
4. the addictive substance that is supposed to have a direct effect on the brain remains undiscovered for food addictions
5. how is this food addiction different from general problematic eating? Studies show consistent overlap.

Question 3

argumenten voor food addiction

Answer 3

Addiction should be viewed as a constellation of related syndromes that share similar, but not entirely overlapping, brain and behavior abnormalities of which a difficulty to control consumption is the most prominent.

1. SUDs met verschillende drugs classes hebben ook geen gedeelde physiological abnormality die objectief gemeten kan worden. maar ze delen deze dingen, die ook te zien zijn in mensen met overgewicht:
   - deprivation when substance is withheld
   - relapse
   - compulsivity (consumption persists despite negative health/social/financial consequences
2. There are multiple fMRI studies showing that energy-dense palatable (appetizing) food can stimulate changes in the activity of many of the same brain structures that are impacted by drugs of abuse.
   Furthermore, animal research provides causal evidence that drugs of abuse and palatable food can impact similar brain circuits (particularly the mesolimbic dopamine system).
   However, it seems unreasonable to assume that there is a specific addiction-relevant pattern of brain activity which can be used to support or refute the existence of food addiction when there is no such pattern that can be used to diagnose drug addiction.
3. Opponents of ‘food addiction’ often use the argument that it is not clear which ingredient in food would be responsible for an addictive effect. However, it can be argued that it is not necessarily a single nutrient that is responsible for maladaptive eating but rather the combinations of them in palatable high-calorie foods that do not occur naturally: a recent study showed that blended food items high in both fat and carbohydrate were more valued than palatable food items high in only 1 of those.

Question 4

food addiction vs. obesity (disclaimer)

Answer 4

Importantly, food addiction is considered distinct from obesity: lean individuals can also suffer from it.
However, negative consequences of failed food control are most evident in overweight individuals. Thus, the arguments below are framed in the context of overweight and obesity.