As clinical psychologist Ashley Gearhardt notes, many lovers of sweet and fatty foods have noticeable
Ashley Gierhardt, associate professor of psychologyUniversity of Michigan, together with colleagues developed the Yale Food Addiction Scale. With the help of this system, according to the expert, it will be possible to identify people who are addicted to various products. In particular, addiction manifests itself in a loss of control over food consumption, a strong craving for food, the inability to reduce the amount of food eaten, despite the possible negative consequences.
According to scientists, 15 percent of US residents suffer from food addiction. Such dependence can lead to diseases that are associated with obesity, nutrition, and a lower quality of life.
In addition, in the course of the studyexperts have concluded that only certain foods are addictive. These foods are high in fat and refined carbohydrates. The most dangerous in this regard are chocolate, ice cream, French fries, pizza, cookies.
But that's not all.Researchers compared tobacco addiction to food addiction. It turned out that these types of addiction are largely similar. So, certain foods also improve your mood, make you return to them again and again, and cause a very strong desire to eat them if you consciously refuse them.
At the same time, there is one important difference between tobacco products and food. Yet we are not able to completely refuse food, unlike cigarettes.
Source: The Conversation