sial in the medical world, there are many research studies that suggest an addictive element for some inidividuals.
There is no doubt that an excess of sodium in the diet plays a role in the development of obesity and high blood pressure (hypertension).
Furthermore, an excess of salt in the diet can have negative effects on the heart, blood vessels, kidneys and brain. 10
However, it is important to remember that salt is essential to health. But we are not talking about a small sprinkling of salt added to your dinner.
Indeed, most of our sodium intake (around 71% 11) arises from hidden salt in foods, especially processed foods. Prime culprits of high sodium foods include bread and cakes, processed cheese and meats, soups, pizzas, sauces and gravy.
A 2016 review 12 on salt addiction shows that salt intake activates the lateral hypothalamus (LHT) in the brain that, in turn, releases dopamine. Dopamine then stimulates the nucleus accumbens (NA) and other limbic systems, central to reward pathways and addiction.
Although, there is a way to go in the research related to salt addiction, there are a number of medical studies that agree excessive salt intake is an addiction.
(iv) Fat Addiction
As with our previous three food groups, some foods rich in fats are also what are known as highly-palatable foods.
One research study 14 argues that, because people don’t binge on broccoli, there is some aspect in certain foods that are rich in fat and/or sugar that encourage binge eating.
Medical studies 15 also suggest that laboratory animals will binge on fats. Furthermore, if the fat is restricted to only three times a week the binge eating increases.
Similar to our other tricky customers above, it is not all fats that are a problem. So, it is saturated fats or trans fats, again found in processed foods, that have addictive qualities similar to that of Class A drugs.
A 2016 medical study 16 on rats shows that again, saturated fat intake (palm oil) acts on the brain’s reward signalling in a similar way to that of other drugs of abuse.
Furthermore, as time passes, on a diet rich in trans-fats, the effects of dopamine on the brain are reduced and thus, more and more fats are necessary for the same effect.
So, examples of foods, rich in saturated fats include:-
- processed meats such as sausages and bacon.
What about the Combination of Addictive Factors in Food?
Having discussed, with scientific evidence, the main types of foods that promote addictive style eating, it is clear that a lot of processed, or fast food contains most, if not all of the main culprits.
This surely means if somebody has addictive behaviour towards highly palatable or refined carbs, the chances are the food they choose and are struggling with, are also high in sugar, salt and processed fats too.
According to (a small) 2015 study 17 not all foods are equally addictive. Furthermore, there is not enough reliable data to identify which particular foods, or a combination of qualities, lead to addictive-type eating.
However, the study does indicate that highly processed foods share qualities such as rapid rate of absorption and concentrated doses of fat, high glycemic index carbohydrates and/or sugar that lead to addictive style eating.
This study concludes that the predictive factors for addictive eating, in order of importance, are as follows:-
- Processing: The higher processed the foods are, the more addictive
- The glycemic load of certain foods (measured by the spike in blood sugar levels) after consumption
- The amount of saturated fat in foods
The Behavioral Aspects of Food Addiction
The Yale Food Addiction Scale
The most acceptable method to determine food addiction is the 2009 Yale Food Addiction Scale.
This is a 25 question survey, that assesses how a person’s thoughts regarding food can assess addiction levels.
Similar to other drug and alcohol addictions, the questions assess a person’s preoccupation and control over their eating habits.
The questions are rated on a 5 point scale of frequency from ‘never’ to ‘daily’. A few examples include:-
I find that when I