In the light of how much attention has been paid to addiction over the last few decades, the amount of mystery that still surrounds the subject is considerable. As a small example, take Dr. Vera Tarman’s words about weighing and measuring ... [Continue Reading]
Happiness Quotient vs. Obesity, Continued
Some national populations have a fortunate genetic heritage that leaves their feel-good genes unfettered, making them happy countries, and we are looking at the inner workings of this phenomenon, with an eye to comparing the happiest with the least ... [Continue Reading]
Happiness Quotient vs. Obesity
Do certain genes exert influence over a person’s likelihood of developing an addiction to food and/or eating? It does seem likely. Fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) will act to suppress the benefits of anandamide (also known as the “bliss ... [Continue Reading]
Feel-Good Genes and Addiction, Continued
Heredity influences the body and brain to have certain attitudes and behaviors around food and eating. This is significant for many reasons. It could influence the effectiveness of any program designed to alleviate the problems that are called, for ... [Continue Reading]
What Goes On In There?
As outlined in the previous post, anandamide (AEA) makes us happy, but for four-fifths of people, FAAH steps up and says, “But just hold on there… Not too happy.” What other substances and processes can influence our moods and ... [Continue Reading]
Feel-Good Genes and Addiction
Here is a story from a 5’2″ elementary school teacher, 24 years of age, who described her life as “miserable” because of disordered eating: [A]fter one personal trainer, over two years of therapy, three juice cleanses, four ... [Continue Reading]
Inherency, Addiction, and People
This discussion has been about which substances in foods may or may not be dangerously attractive. Now, it is about which qualities in humans can, or might, increase their susceptibility to obesity caused by addictive-like eating behavior. What makes ... [Continue Reading]
Inherency and Food Addiction — Some Thoughts
We have quoted before from a landmark 2014 paper with a dozen authors, titled “‘Eating addiction’, rather than ‘food addiction’, better captures addictive-like eating behavior.” Humans who overeat usually do not ... [Continue Reading]
Inherency and Food Addiction and Factors
Food Addiction (FA) causality will probably never be a settled matter because, in matters like this, various factors can change. It is difficult, in other words, to do any kind of deliberate study in the real world because we cannot set hard rules ... [Continue Reading]
Inherency and Food Addiction — Oh No! More Wrinkles
Where is the handle to grab this problem known as Food Addiction (as distinct from Eating Addiction), which may or may not have consistent rules? Is it the particular kind of food, or something found in many foods? Is it not even caused by food at ... [Continue Reading]
Inherency and Food Addiction — More Wrinkles
The subject is still the validity of food addiction as a concept, and now we’re talking about the intentionality of it. Dr. Pretlow once wrote, Dr. Wang […] commented […], “We make our food very similar to cocaine now.” [CNN, 2010]. ... [Continue Reading]
Inherency and Food Addiction, a Wrinkle
Recent posts have rehashed the points made by various authorities about whether food, or some components of food, or components of some foods, can be physically addicting in the same way as heroin, cocaine, alcohol, nicotine, etc. Or maybe, the ... [Continue Reading]
Inherency and Food Addiction, Some Interesting Points
In the previous posts on the debate over whether food can have inherent or intrinsic addictive properties, we mentioned the final report summary from NEUROFAST on “The Integrated Neurobiology of Food Intake, Addiction and Stress.” This ... [Continue Reading]
Inherency and Food Addiction, Continued
The previous post mentioned some of the authorities who have a hard time justifying a scientific basis for the intrinsic addictiveness of foodstuffs. But always, there is just enough evidence to make the possibility tantalizingly attractive to many ... [Continue Reading]
Inherency and Food Addiction
Debate continues about whether some foods can be addictive in the same sense as, for instance, heroin. Is the addictiveness inherent in the food, or in the person? Or does it have to be both, two variables with the potential to cause damage, and when ... [Continue Reading]
Some Wrinkles in the Food Addiction Concept
Many aspects of the food addiction (FA) concept can be discussed extensively, including whether we are talking about a substance addiction or a behavioral addiction, or both, or neither; and even whether there are more than two main camps. Discussing ... [Continue Reading]
Different Schools of Thought
Late in 2014, a lengthy contribution was added to the conversation about terminology. ” ‘Eating addiction’, rather than ‘food addiction,’, better captures addictive-like eating behavior” is the title of a report ... [Continue Reading]