Researchers Hypothesize Refined Food Addiction
Relying on the DSM-IV criteria for substance dependence and other substance use disorders, researchers have hypothesized that the over-consumption of refined foods can be described as an addiction that “could account for the global epidemic of obesity and other metabolic disorders.” J.R. Ifland, et al., “Refined Food Addiction: A Classic Substance Use Disorder,” Medical Hypotheses (2009).
They match the statements obtained from obese people involved in a clinical observation study with substance dependence criteria such as progressive use over time, withdrawal symptoms, use more than intended, and tried to cut back, and show how “reports from self-identified food addicts seem to comprise behaviors that conform to the DSM-IV criteria. The pathology of behavior and the elements of loss control and distress that are prevalent in other addictions also appear in this qualitative data.”
While calling for further empirical research, the article also cites animal research and obesity literature as additional support for the validity of the refined food addiction hypothesis. The authors suggest that the development of a new diagnostic category could lead to a useful therapeutic approach, which they believe would involve abstinence from the substances that lead to loss of control, “as is the practice with
other substance use disorders.”
They acknowledge that their hypothesis could, like the concepts of alcohol and nicotine dependence, take “decades to gain acceptance.” Noting that “patients’ attempts to lose weight have been disturbingly resistant to known treatment approaches,” the article concludes, “In the absence of an addiction framework, irrational overeating of refined foods remains a puzzle without a solution. With the possible validation of the refined food addiction syndrome, the health community could move forward with recommendations of abstinence from specific substances.”
