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The controversy hasn’t stopped some researchers from continuing to study the construct. How are researchers going to ask for grant funding for something that doesn’t exist officially? Equating food with drugs stigmatizes people who are overweight and it does not inform treatment, since we don’t yet know what works.Ĭounter argument: Without a label, it’s hard to find treatments. A food addiction label doesn’t help anyone and might hurt. Only about 15-25% of individuals with obesity meet food addiction criteria.ģ. Although food addiction can cause overweight and obesity–people with food addiction tend to have higher weights–it is a distinct entity. In fact, many people with food addiction are normal weight. An over-active hedonic drive is not the primary cause of overweight or obesity Metabolism, hormones, low levels of physical activity and medications are the primary drivers.Ĭounter argument: Not all people who are overweight have food addiction. Food is different from drugs and alcohol we need it to survive and you can’t quit food like you can drugs and alcohol.Ĭounter argument: Some foods, namely sugary and processed foods, have different biochemical effects from and more powerfully activate brain reward circuitry compared to other foods we don’t need sugary and processed food to survive.Ģ. Here are some reasons people give for their skepticism followed by counter arguments from food addiction proponents:ġ.
#Hedonic criteria manual
When the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-V) was developed in 2013, the committee considered adding food addiction as an official diagnosis but ultimately decided not to, despite the fact that there is strong evidence in animal models that Overeating behavior is rooted in brain chemistry, and, in humans, that many people eat in addictive ways. Many hold that it is not a valid disorder. The food addiction concept–defined as “substance-based addiction to highly-palatable foods containing unnaturally high concentrations of refined carbohydrates and fat”–is a highly controversial one in the medical and mental health fields.