I last blogged about food addiction in July 2013 when a newly-published study showed that food addiction appears to be the real thing, not just a flip comment we make to excuse cravings for chocolate or French fries. Last year’s study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, showed via brain imaging what happens when we eat simple carbohydrates — the ones the body quickly converts to sugar. These “addictive” carbs stimulated the very same brain areas that light up on scans in response to other addictions. They’re the ones involved in reward and cravings.
 
Food addiction is a hot scientific topic these days. We’re enduring a terrible obesity epidemic, and the more we learn about what fuels it, the better we can fight it. Make no mistake, we’re up against powerful forces. Food engineers have far more information about the addictive nature of foods on the human brain than the unsuspecting public. They are master manipulators of neuroscience, human behavior, supply and demand. That doesn’t mean that being overweight can be blamed on addiction or that all lapses from healthy eating are due to the power of addiction over good intentions. Here’s the latest on this subject. Read on to see if it speaks to your struggles with food.