Obesity is continuing to rise, and GLP-1 peptides are becoming the magic pill for people to lose weight. It begs the question: is food addictive, or are the chemicals in our food causing hormone imbalances, destroying our metabolism, and creating unhealthy stress responses? The decisions we make determine our health, whether physical or mental; what we choose to put in our body directly affects how our body responds. In this article, I will dive into the science behind the food addiction question and give you some science-based tips to help you improve your overall relationship with food.
Is Food Addictive?
Ultimately, food is not addictive according to science; how we feel before we eat highly palatable foods makes these foods more addictive. For example, having little sleep, being highly stressed, being emotionally neglected, being abused, and much more drive us to make decisions that can help us cope with these uncomfortable and debilitating feelings.
Research states that these highly palatable foods include fast food, processed foods like candy, ice cream, cereals, Debbie cakes, soda, energy drinks, and more, all of which provide us with an emotional coping mechanism that allows us to feel gratification and relief from a stress response. One study found that sugary processed foods released chemicals in the pleasure center of the brain, the same centers that heroin and cocaine act on. Does this indicate that these foods are addictive? You must first ask yourself how you are feeling before eating this food. Science suggests that increased cortisol levels and high amounts of stress increase our appetite and craving for foods that provide our body relief from stress, such as sugary and fatty foods.
How Does Sugar Affect The Brain?
Sugar is a necessary fuel source for exercise, memory, energy, and much more, but one of the main components of food addiction is people's cravings for sugar. What does sugar do to the brain when we consume it? According to Harvard Medical School, a 2009 study on animal models that had too much sugar in their bloodstream was linked to memory and cognitive deficiencies.
Long-term diabetes, either type 1 or type 2, has many consequences for the brain and neurons in the brain. High glucose levels can affect the brain's functional connectivity, which links brain regions that share functional properties and brain matter. It can cause the brain to atrophy or shrink, and this can lead to less Neuroplasticity, the brain's ability to create new neurons and neural pathways. Over time, this restricts blood flow to the brain, and if severe enough, it puts people at risk for dementia.
Sugar is also said to increase brain age. These studies were conducted using refined sugar, the most inflammatory form of glucose. The brain is sensitive and should be treated carefully and intentionally.
Gluten Releases a Morphine Like Substance in the Brain
Gluten is a lipoprotein found in wheat that is used to help hold together food like bread, pasta, cookies, candies, and more. Gluten has been shown to damage the gut lining and cause harm to our microbiome. Gluten, also in studies, has been shown to degrade into several morphine-like substances named gluten exorphins.
These compounds have proven opioid effects and could mask the harmful effects of gluten protein on the gastrointestinal lining and function. This explains the phenomenon that people say they don't struggle with gluten allergies; it's due to the effects on the brain, and they have to mask the effects. This is also what makes this food more addictive; it's due to these chemical releases in the brain that lead us to eat more of these foods over time.
Stress is the Key Ingredient In Food Addiction
Stress can be the result of anxiety, depression, sleep deprivation, and others, all of which cause an increase in cortisol throughout the body. When we have an increased amount of cortisol, it can improve our appetite because our body needs extra energy to stay awake and survive the danger it thinks it is facing.
Stress-related obesity has been associated with dysregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical axis (HPA axis) and dysregulation of the metabolic system. When these two parts of the brain are dysregulated, this causes dysregulation in our reward systems, leading to cravings for dopamine-releasing substances such as sugar or fatty foods. Eating in a stressed state, especially foods high in fat and sugar, can drastically affect our insulin hormone, putting us at greater risk for type 2 diabetes.
They found in a study that animals under stress who ate a diet high in sugar and fat became addicted to these foods, which were much more accessible than those animals that were not stressed.
Awareness is the Beginning of Change
Self-awareness is the beginning of all change. The more we can identify our coping mechanisms, the more we can change them. When building awareness of our food, we must first become intentional with our food choices. Making intentional decisions with whole, nutrient-dense foods. Incorporating lean meats, fruits, vegetables, and good fats can help with satiety and improve your body's natural hormonal responses to stress. Avoiding highly processed sugar rich foods is essential for developing healthier sustainable habits.
Identifying your stress triggers and the foods that are harmful to your gut health can help you create a healthier relationship with foods like sugar and gluten. A two-week food journal in which you write down everything you eat along with how those foods make you feel can be a great way to see what you may need to eliminate from your diet.
Mental health is an important part of food addiction, so getting help from a therapist or a coach can be a great way to have an accountability partner who can help you set realistic goals and help you reach a more self-aware state of mind.
Take Away
Food is a central part of our society, and with that comes the risk of food addiction, obesity, diabetes, and other diseases. The more we can get control of our relationship with food, the better we can prevent disease and improve our quality of life.
Comments