Abstract
Food is a potent natural reward and food intake is a complex process. Reward and gratification associated with food consumption leads to dopamine (DA) production, which in turn activates reward and pleasure centers in the brain. An individual will repeatedly eat a particular food to experience this positive feeling of gratification. This type of repetitive behavior of food intake leads to the activation of brain reward pathways that eventually overrides other signals of satiety and hunger. Thus, a gratification habit through a favorable food leads to overeating and morbid obesity. Overeating and obesity stems from many biological factors engaging both central and peripheral systems in a bi-directional manner involving mood and emotions. Emotional eating and altered mood can also lead to altered food choice and intake leading to overeating and obesity. Research findings from human and animal studies support a two-way link between three concepts, mood, food, and obesity. The focus of this article is to provide an overview of complex nature of food intake where various biological factors link mood, food intake, and brain signaling that engages both peripheral and central nervous system signaling pathways in a bi-directional manner in obesity.
Highlights
It is hypothesized that individuals engage in a variety of behaviors to regulate their mood (Morris and Reilly, 1987)
Frontiers in Psychology | Eating Behavior diet to regular diet (Avena et al, 2008; Teegarden and Bale, 2008; Cottone et al, 2009; Pickering et al, 2009; Iemolo et al, 2012; Sharma et al, 2012; Blasio et al, 2013). These findings suggest that chronic high-fat feeding promotes negative emotional states and potentiates condition for enhanced sensitivity to stress that leads to continuous repetitive cycles of overeating, weight gain, and depressed mood
This article points to biological factors engaging both central and peripheral system in a bi-directional manner linking food intake, mood, and obesity
Summary
It is hypothesized that individuals engage in a variety of behaviors to regulate their mood (Morris and Reilly, 1987). This type of repetitive behavior of food intake leads to the activation of brain reward pathways that eventually overrides other signals of satiety and hunger. On a short-term basis, palatable foods can provide some relief from negative emotions and mood states, chronic consumption of calorically-rich foods leads to obesity which in turn promotes vulnerability to depression and anxiety (Novick et al, 2005; Simon et al, 2006; Kloiber et al, 2007; Sharma and Fulton, 2013).
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