2. • Do people that eat unhealthily on a regular basis suffer
from an addiction?
• People considered to have a food dependency reported:
– Loss of control when eating
– Constant desire or effort to stop
– Continued behavior despite
detrimental consequences
• Extreme cases vs. everyday cases
An InFATuation
3. Dopamine
• Neurotransmitter that motivates us to eat and
partake in other “rewarding” behaviors.
– Reflects wanting more than liking
• Obese individuals have low dopamine levels
similar to those of substance addicts
• Low dopamine = less reward = minimal
satisfaction
4. How do we get low dopamine levels?
• Once the weight is gained, dopamine response
becomes insensitive.
– Leads to overeating which leads to even lower
dopamine response.
• People at a high risk for obesity have an overly
sensitive dopamine response
• Additional Factors
– Stress
– Poor nutrition
– Environmental toxins
– Genetics
5. Addictive Foods
• Why are we not getting addicted to broccoli?
• Primal instincts tell us to eat fatty foods when
hungry in order to sustain ourselves longer
• Our bodies only act on a calorie deficit. Not an
excess.
6. Hyper-Palatable foods
• Eating food found in nature allows the body’s
satiety mechanisms to activate and behave in
a reasonable way.
• Our bodies are not wired to handle processed
substances
