Food Addiction Affects Brain

Researchers at Yale University have found that brain activity for those with food obsessions is similar to people who are addicted to drugs or alcohol, mainly increased brain activity in the reward pathways. The experiment included 48 women who ranged in weight. An image of either a chocolate milkshake or a glass of water was shown to each woman, and then each woman was given a small sample of what they were shown. Body mass index had no correlation to food addiction, and the anticipation of food produced more brain responses than actually consuming the food. Researchers hope this and further study will help in understanding obesity, which affects almost one-third of Americans.