University of Guelph psychology researchers find similarities between addictive impulses to sugary foods and cocaine
Having trouble putting down the munchies? Just how severely can one be addicted to food? According to University of Guelph researchers, cravings for sugary sweets are synonymous to needing the next dose of cocaine.
There are many extremely palatable foods that many people crave, though there are still variations of the intensity of the drive for treats that are dependant on the individual. Dr. Francesco Leri and his PhD student, Anne Marie Levy, began their studies in 2008 hoping to discover an answer to the question of variations between individuals for addiction to foods.
Dr. Leri and Levy studied the behaviours of test and control groups of rats. They utilised a technique known as place-conditioning which allows for an association between the environment and a certain stimulus. Dr. Leri and Levy used place-conditioning to teach rats the stimuli to expect from a variety of compartments.
A sample test population of rats were place-conditioned using Oreos, while a control population underwent place-conditioning using rice-cakes, a less palatable food. In giving the option for self-admission of cocaine, researchers observed that rats of the test population that displayed a marked preference to Oreos would in turn develop a greater need for cocaine. Rats of the control group, conditioned with the less palatable foods, did exhibit individual preference in the primary stage of the study to rice cakes. However, with the option of self-administering cocaine there were no observed distinctions of preference. Simply put, a rat with a developed sweet tooth also has developed a weakness for cocaine.
Applied to humans, the results of the study put a new, more dangerous light on junk food diets. Prof. Francesco Leri surmised from his study that a continual exposure to highly palatable sugary and/or fatty foods, the brain would be taught to respond with cravings to a certain stimulus. This stimulus is apparently mimicked by the neurological effects of cocaine.
“It has been found that the criteria for substance dependence are similar to that for food dependence,” said Prof. Francesco Leri, Department of Psychology. “When we looked at our animals, we observed that foods with properties which are more appealing, such as those high in sugars and fats content, are preferred and engender addictive-like responses. In addition, these foods and cocaine produce similar effects on goal-oriented behaviours.”
Funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the study piqued the interest of many scientists at the annual meeting of the Canadian Association for Neuroscience.
Dr. Francesco Leri and Anne Marie Levy now seek to determine the nature of the different levels of addiction stimulated amongst individuals.
Levy believes that it is an important step to recognise that people can become physically addicted to food. In understanding the occurrences of addictions, researchers are able to progress further to discover the reason for the addictive impulses, and hopefully find methods of treatment. The study presents revolutionary opportunities for the pharmacological intervention for obesity.
“This knowledge could also help increase the public understands of the effects of unhealthy food choices,” said Leri. “An effective strategy to combat obesity is to educate people about the causes and consequences of their choices.”