Compulsive Overeating is now seen as an addiction, not a lack of willpower.
Binging has become a common behavior in our modern world. We’ve all done it or know someone who has. It’s that uncontrollable craving to eat, not only one cookie, but the whole box. It’s the unstoppable urge to eat the whole carton of ice cream instead of just a bowl.
But a new study by Université de Montreal neuroscientist, Stephanie Fulton, has brought to light the similarities between binging and drug addiction. The same hormones that regulate feeding also regulate neuron activity that is connected to drug abuse.
By studying obese mice in her research, Stephanie found that whether it’s craving food, alcohol or any other substance, the same molecular changes take place.
What this means for people “addicted to food,” is that research is being done to help understand the science of it and, hopefully, new ways of treating it. As with other addictions, binging can be treated with specific steps and procedures.
The next project is to study the front and midbrain, where dopamine activity takes place. Scientists believe that obese people have irregular dopamine levels and, by studying them specifically, the relationship between normal eating and binging can be recognized.
This article first appeared on www.Suite101.com
Author's Bio
Ms. Henry is a freelance Writer and Actress residing in Vancouver, Canada. She was the Editor of Beauty: You Define It magazine and has worked intensively with local youth around issues such as body image, eating disorders and dieting.
She has published a book of poetry titled, Silent Screams (Trafford Publishing, 2002), which was written when she was a teenager. The second printing was released in 2007.
Along with writing, Lori sat on the Advisory Committee of Jessie's Hope Society (formerly ANAD) and is a Director of the You Are Not Alone Eating Disorder Society and Shelley's Angels Society.
Visit her website for more information.
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