Science: Overeating Fatty Food Resembles Coke Addiction

A study conducted on three groups of lab rats has provided some interesting insights into what might possibly drive humans to binge on fatty, high calorie food. In a study published in the journal Nature Neuroscience, researchers studied the rats for 40 days. One group was fed "regular" rat food (whatever that means); another got bacon, sausage, cheesecake, etc., for just one hour each day; and the third group received access to the unhealthy foods for up to 23 hours a day. The third group's unlimited binging changed their brains.

Overeating caused the levels of a certain dopamine receptor in the brains of the obese rats to drop; this same pattern is observed in human drug addicts. Researchers monitoring brain electrodes found that the rats in the third group developed a tolerance to the pleasure the food gave them and had to eat more to get "high," just like that greasy hipster jonesing for one more bump outside the bathrooms at Union Pool. Dr.Gene-Jack Wang, M.D., tells CNN he's not surprised to see junk food elicit this addictive response because "we make our food very similar to cocaine now."

Just as coca leaves are processed to make the drug reach the brain more efficiently, "our ancestors ate whole grains, but we're eating white bread. American Indians ate corn; we eat corn syrup... like a drug abuser [uses drugs]," says Wang. According to CNN, "When researchers applied an electric shock to the rats' feet in the presence of the food, the rats in the first two groups were frightened away from eating." But not the fat rats in group three! "Their attention was solely focused on consuming food," observes Paul J. Kenny, Ph.D., a co-author of the report. Once it hits your lips, it's so good!

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By John Del Signore in Food on March 29, 2010 6:22 PM

Comments [rss]

Captain Quinn

This is not all surprising because it is not new. Those of us who have the knowledge have to carry the torch everyday and make our case to all who'll listen. A lot of people need help to understand that food can cause as much harm as it does good. We are, evolutionarily speaking, simply not equipped to effectively deal with the amount of sugar that so many of us consume in a given day.

http://www.captainquinnsbootcamp.com

Eat Right Mental Strategist

When I was reading this post...first of all I was so glad that this study happened...but when I read the part about the rats that only had access to the fatty foods once a day, I knew I was going to see somebody comment the way Debutante1967 did:

"So, let me get this straight.....I'm OK if I eat junk food for only ONE hour a day, right ? I'm good with that.."

Maybe Debutante1967 is joking and then again maybe not.

The fact of the matter is, this is serious business. Our nation is dying faster than ever because of food. Think about that for a second...dying because of food.

Food is awesome fuel for the body when used correctly.

On the other hand food is, no doubt, a drug when it's abused.

The sad reality is that most people use food as a drug and then hide behind the sad emotional reality that it creates for them.

Change your ways people and step out in front of the world as a confident eater with a lean "disease free" body.

Debutante1967

So, let me get this straight.....I'm OK if I eat junk food for only ONE hour a day, right ? I'm good with that..

Greenpoint60

Eating too much junk food in five minuets a day will fuck your system up. I gave it up 17 years ago.

Greenpoint60

A national health care system is not the silver bullet that will reverse a lifetime of unhealthy habits.

Take males in the US and in Canada.

Those who smoke, have a body mass index of 33, don’t exercise and drink 3+ per day; 50% will live to 66 in

both the US and Canada.

Those who don’t smoke, have a body mass index of 25, do regular exercise and drink 0+ per day;50% will live to 66 in both the US and Canada.

The government run health care system in Canada is not the solution for a screwed up lifestyle.

Source:

http://www.lifeexpectancy.com

Greenpoint60

Sorry Correction to above post

Those who don’t smoke, have a body mass index of 25, do regular exercise and drink 0+ per day;50% will live to 87 in both the US and Canada.

JMH

I can't be the only one who thinks "Dr. Gene-Jack Wang, M.D." is one of the funniest names of all time, can I?

RoboticInsides

Duh. Remember that Simpsons episode with the Krusty Burger Ribwich that spoofs Requiem for a Dream?

juliec

That does sound a lot like my relationship with Snickers bars...

Greenpoint60

The doctors do not have a silver bullet to reverse an unhealty diet. Fish Oil pills and Pom juice will not clean you out either.

Ho hum, its time for me to brave that rain and get to the gym for a workout and a glass of whey

Paul

Just great, first they eliminate normal healthy food and try to stuff us full of aspartame and high fructose corn syrup then when people get fat and unhealthy they want to develop a pill for it which will probably turn out to be worse than the disease.

Yes food is addictive, I've been on it myself for quite some time.

There’s an interesting post over at the Health Journal Club that makes the case that people should just not eat anything that wasn’t a food 100 years ago. Gets rid of the aspartame, bleached GM flour, high fructose corn syrup garbage they try to pass off as food these days. If interested you can read on it here,

http://healthjournalclub.blogspot.com/2010/01/100-year-diet.html

Ummmmmm Doughnuts

Greenpoint60

My GGG grandfather was born in Virginia in 1738 was a soldier in the Revouluion and died in Ohio in 1820.

Dead Himmler

100 years ago the life span was 49 years for a male. No thank you I'll keep my Diet Coke.

Kevin Walsh

Make vegetables taste better, we'll be addicted to them in no time.

www.forgotten-ny.com

mzungu

who knew poor Fat Rat was just trying to get off the coke when he got stuck in that side walk? it's a cruel world.

Andrew Baker

Neat study, and the scientists are quick to admit that comparing rats and humans might not be fair. It's not because "well it's a rat, and rats are different than people" In this situation, there's a huge difference that we know a lot about. It's the fact that rats are r-type reproducers, and people are K-type reproducers. What this means is that in the r type (bugs, rats, sardines) it's a short breeding cycle and life span that favors offspring quantity over quality, in order to take full advantage of "good times" like all-you-can-eat cake and sausage and other feast and famine situations in their unstable environment. People, on the other hand, are K type reproducers, with a relatively long life span that take care to pick the best mate and raise only a few high quality offspring. (some smart ass will have something to say about this statement - yeah I saw Idiocracy)

Anyway, my point is that rats and humans have a fundamentally different world view when it comes to the unlimited buffet. There are a lot of arguments that could go either way - For example, in the rats, if given this steady diet and allowed to reproduce, the number of rats would increase until the food was divided up to the point where they were all only getting their required caloric intake. In humans, one can argue that in our modern food "system" no such limits exist, so we ARE like the 23 hour a day sausage eating rats. Either way it's a great study. Pass the bacon.

Kojak

Note to self: End electric shock therapy on fatties. Correction, a higher voltage may bring better results, and if not, comedy relief (Or roasted ham)