Food Addiction: Latest Insights on the Clinical Implications

Over the past 50 years, our food supply has changed dramatically. Now, much of our food is considered to be highly processed, and some have argued that this has significantly contributed to the obesity epidemic. While studies of food addictions are becoming more accepted and are attracting more scientific and media interest, the notion tve intake of certain types of foods can produce aspects of substance use disorder remains controversial. Many studies have demonstrated that highly palatable foods can lead not only to criteria of substance use disorder and addiction as defined by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), but also neurochemical changes in brain reward systems that regulate addictive behaviors. In this chapter, we review the historical and latest research on the addictive nature of highly processed food, with a special focus on causes of food addiction, long-term effects of addictive overeating, and the treatment landscape. Further, this chapter reviews how food addiction may relate to, as well as inform treatments for, other addiction, including alcohol abuse, drug use, and gambling.