Compulsion: the darker side of food craving, or... is it?

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Intense food cravings are very common. Then chances are you too probably have one sometimes. Yet most people don't see food cravings as being something dangerous, apart from an occasional feeling of guilt about some extra weight about the waistline. Food cravings aren't within the same department as drug addiction. Or are they?

Addiction is frequently referred to as a compulsive physiological and psychological desire for a habit-forming substance, even in the light of harmful consequences of its use. It is often coupled with the presence of withdrawal symptoms, which often can include anxiousness and unstable or negative moods. Everybody recognizes this definition when it's applied to drugs. Interestingly, at least some areas of it are located in relation to food cravings.

Habit forming nature of food craving

Appetite for food may be of two differing types: from the stomach, and originating in the mind. The very first type involves an authentic feeling of hunger, the stomach sending signal towards the brain, requiring a fresh portion of nutrients. With this scenario it usually is not important which meals are consumed, it's the fact of intake itself that matters. Another type of appetite works on the completely different physiological system, one that's closely related to the three regions of the mind that a responsible for pleasure rewards. It is primarily the second type that is usually denoted with the term food craving, and not the first one.

The mentioned three brain areas, namely hippocampus, insula and caudate, are involved with a similar circuitry as drug-induced gratifications. Like cocaine, for example. Put simply, food cravings usually are not related to real nutritional needs physiologically; rather they are often triggered by depressed emotional states. The sensation of food induced gratification develops from a discharge of opiate family hormones (for instance dopamine or serotonin), a brain areas involved in that process have been spotted as being active in the substance abuse related studies. Lastly, the possibility physical harm in the form of being overweight and a plethora of associated diseases is obvious as well. A pretty grim picture, you'd probably say, but how about the withdrawal effects? There can't be an addiction without them, right?

Needless to say, you wouldn't notice any withdrawal from a piece of chocolate, but for some people the matter might be more serious. Individuals suffering from conditions such as binge eating disorder (BED), bulimia nervosa and anorexia nervosa, often manifest the the signs of withdrawal, similar to those present with drug users. This is yet another parallel between compulsive eating and substance abuse present day medicine draws.

The counter-argument: not all pleasure is addiction

Even though the similarity in physiological and psychological mechanisms is great, the majority food craving cases doesn't deserve the label of the addictive behaviour. Notwithstanding the many commonality, some differences in neurotransmitter use incited by drugs and intense food compulsion have been demonstrated. Also, it isn't the release of pleasure hormones as such that defines the addiction. Pleasure rewards associated with dopamine release happen in the course of quite many regular activities, from enjoying a beautiful bit of music to a passionate night of making love. They are pleasures, not addictions.

The important thing element that distinguishes between addictive and pleasurable behaviour could be the degree of control and awareness. If you remember, the initial meaning of addiction included the term compulsive. Gratification and joy are very important aspects of life, and really should not be avoided, provided that it is you who regulates the desire to have pleasure, rather than the other way around. Nevertheless, the storyline sketched above is important in focusing our attention to the thin line between normality and compulsion in certain eating behaviours. Although under regular conditions food craving shouldn't be a matter of extreme concern, they still have to be managed at least to some degree.

Some degree of control may be had with a sensible, balanced diet. Natural Health products can also assist with certain types of food cravings.

Article Source: http://depositarticles.com/

Daniel Miller lives in the UK and is a nutritionist and a consultant in natural health. He is a very healthy 60 year old and lives by the sea with his wife and very big dog.

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