SY31-4 * FOOD ADDICTION

Abstract

Introduction. Obesity is highly prevalent in developed countries, which is mainly attributable to excess caloric intake. Obesity causes a wide range of detrimental health consequences including Type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, sleep apnea, and depression. Recently, accumulating data show that obesity share common neurobiological mechanism of drug and alcohol addiction. Method. This presentation reviews the diverse literature describing diet and obesity in terms of neurobiology and addiction. Result. From the neurobiological perspective, eating can be driven by both metabolic need and hedonic drive. Nowadays, some individuals seem to eat food not by metabolic need but by hedonic drive, which leads them to feeling better and relieving stress. There is increasing evidence that excessive caloric intake may induce neural adaptation in reward circuitry, similar to drug and alcohol addiction. Individuals with obesity exhibit high sensitivity of the reward circuitry to high-calorie food, but low sensitivity to the rewarding effects of actual food consumption. Conclusion. Neurobiological understanding of obesity in terms of addiction is expected to shed light on its eventual resolution in the future.