Does Food Addiction Really Exist?

Many health care professionals see out-of-control eating as an addiction. But some research points to society's fascination with food as the main culprit.

Baylor College of Medicine researchers reviewed several studies and found that the inability to control eating may be the result of conflicting primitive responses and today's environment.

"Humans used to have to search for food," says Dr. Ken Goodrick with Baylor's Behavioral Medicine Research Center. "Now food searches us out."

The current environment is plagued by excessive advertising, large-scale grocery displays, an abundance of high-calorie foods, an obsession with thinness, and a high stress level. Many try to find comfort in food, then follow with restrictive diets.

Dr. Goodrick encourages individuals to understand the importance of adopting their ancestors' eating and exercise habits and stop struggling with themselves about weight.

- From Baylor College of Medicine

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©2006 Texas Medical Center

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