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5 to encourage the public to use these terms, Appetite, looked at how giving information
because they will understandably expect it about food addiction affects people’s behaviour
is similar to addictions to heroin, nicotine or and preferences. In the study, 60 volunteers
alcohol, which is not true.” read different ‘news stories’ claiming scientists
Even as a clinician, Prof Macdonald says he had either proven or disproven the existence
is reluctant to use the term ‘food addiction’. of food addiction, before taking a taste test of
“I don’t think health professionals should healthy and unhealthy foods.
use the term unless they make it very clear “Among people who had just read that food
exactly what they’re talking about. The term addiction was real there was an interesting
‘eating addiction’ is now being recognised split,” Prof Rogers explains. “Some people ate
in psychological circles as being helpful in a lot, some people very little indeed. Which
describing altered behaviour and cravings for fits the theory that some people, having read
specific types of food, or food in general. But
even this can be used inappropriately and
over-interpreted.” “Everyone must eat to survive,
It’s possible to see how the concept of addiction
might be counterproductive. Labelling ‘food so an addiction has to be
addiction’ as a disease may create or reinforce
a perception that excessive eating is something something much more extreme
we are powerless to resist. If someone told
you chocolate was addictive, or you were than normal eating”
hard-wired to get hooked on junk food, would
this strengthen or weaken your New Year’s
resolutions to eat healthily? the passage, thought ‘I can’t help myself’ and
Prof Peter Rogers, who studies nutrition, succumbed, while others thought ‘these foods
behaviour and the brain’s control of appetite are addictive’ and refrained. So it seems that
at the University of Bristol, says labelling the more people read about food addiction, the
food addiction as a condition could have more they have a particular mindset when they
unpredictable effects. “A label like ‘food are confronted with certain kinds of foods –
addiction’ is not trivial; it can have an effect and that can be helpful or unhelpful.”
that directly influences our experience of Dr Ashley Gearhardt’s This may hint towards possible treatments
eating, of feeling hungry and wanting to Fast Lab explores eating for problem overeating. Having a concept of
behaviour in study
eat.” His research, published in the journal participants certain ‘problem foods’ that cause people to
overeat and that should be avoided, could be
used in a similar way to the complete abstinence
model used to manage conventional addictions.
Before deciding on possible treatments,
though, there needs to be a consensus as to
whether food addiction actually exists and, if
so, how it functions. As yet, the experts are far
from agreed on these points. Clearly, certain
people do crave certain foods, but we don’t
fully understand what drives these cravings,
or what reward people get from eating these ASHLEY GEARHARDT/UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN, ISTOCK X2
foods. So, there’s still plenty to chew over.
by LILIAN ANEKWE (@SoMe_Lilian)
Lilian is an award-winning medical and health
journalist, and social media editor at New Scientist.
4 8 B B C S C I E N C E F O C U S M A G A Z I N E C O L L E C T I O N
48 BBC SCIENCE FOCUS MAGAZINE COLLECTION
