Addictive Foods

The Foundation is working to develop a method to reliably distinguish addictive from non-addictive foods.  As with all of the Foundation’s work, the method derives from the seven addictive behaviors identified by the American Psychiatric Association.  In a pilot study,  participants were readily able to indicate which foods they use in addictive eating.  The foods that were selected in the study as used in loss of control were refined foods including sugar, sweeteners, flours, caffeine, salt, fats subjected to high temperature, and dairy.

The Foundation’s findings that refined foods are used in addictive eating are consistent with existing research that shows that the addiction neuropathways of the brain are activated by ‘palatable’ foods such as sugar and fats, but are not activated by unrefined foods such as raw vegetables.  Saccharine has been shown to be preferred over cocaine by laboratory rats. Some aspects of caffeine addiction are already included in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Illness published by the American Psychiatric Association.  The presence of naturally occurring morphine in diary has been well established.  Based on encouraging early results, the Foundation plans to continue its inquiry into methods to distinguish addictive from non-addictive foods.

If you would like to support research into methods to distinguish addictive from non-addictive foods, please click here.

https://www.refinedfoodaddiction.org/civicrm/contribute/transact?reset=1&id=1