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Junk foodcan be found almost anywhere today . Unfortunately , the same goes for abusive drug as well . You must have heard that many people claim that junk foods and sugar are as habit-forming as drugs . How much truth is there in this expression ? After all , there are so many myths around related to nutriment , free weight red ink , and addiction , that it becomes unmanageable to empathise what is the truth . But the fact remain that there are some disturbing similarities between junk food , sugar , and abusive drugs . Read on to come up out what these similarities are .
Similarities Between Junk Food, Sugar and Abusive Drug Addiction
Role of Dopamine in Both Junk Foods, Sugar and Drugs
feeding is crucial for our selection . When we have food , the hormone dopamine gets release in a part of the brain that is known as the reinforcement system.(1)The psyche internal secretion dopamine is a neurotransmitter that is responsible for for pleasure , motivation and learning in the torso . Once dopamine is released , the wit receives the ‘ delight ’ signal , which changes the programming in the brain to make us feel pleasure or happy .
This is one of the ways in which the brainpower motivates us to keep working towards our goal . Without Dopastat , our lives would be very unhappy and pitiable .
However , with the advancements of technology , there are many things today that can flood our brain with dopamine . These level of dopamine are much more than our brain is used to , which can leave to the encephalon footpath , getting overwhelmed by the acute level ofdopamine.(2 )
For instance , when people take cocaine , it immediately flood the brainpower with dopamine . This stimulate the brain to change its programing , in the end result in want more and more cocaine to feel happy at that same level.(3 )
However , in a world full of extremely process junk nutrient and sugary foods , field of study have found that sugar and work rubble foods both have the same effect as cocaine or other abusive drug on the brain and the dismissal of dopamine.(4 )
Sugarand debris foods can be referred to as ‘ superstimuli , ’ which flood the brain with so much dopamine that we feel unsatisfied with regular solid food afterward.(5 )
This is not just an effrontery made by doctors . The fact that sugar and processed food function like opprobrious drug and have the same essence on our brain as cocaine and other drug has been proven in legion studies . These studies found that dough and junk intellectual nourishment end up flooding the reinforcement center of the brain with dopamine . These foods especially bear on an region in the psyche know as nucleus accumbens , which is known to play a vast role in addiction.(6)This part is located in the basal forebrain and there is a nucleus accumbens present in each hemisphere of the brain.(7 )
loot is also said to have the same effect on opioid pathways in the brain.(8)The opioid pathways are the same brain system that is manipulate by the intake of drugs like morphia and heroin.(9 )
This is the grounds why a regular intake of extremely process detritus food and sugary foods can make some people lose mastery over how much of the foods they are having . Similar to drug of abuse , these food end up ‘ hijacking ’ the brain ’s pleasure pathways , construct the consistency want more and more of the same sensation .
Sugary and Junk Foods Lead to Cravings
We are all well versed in those midnight cravings for receive sugary solid food or detritus foods . While most people tend to bedevil craving as feelings of hunger , the two are not at all the same thing .
While hunger is due to many physiologic signals that are dependent on the trunk ’s need for nutrient and energy , cravings are have nothing to do with fulfilling the body ’s motive for energy and nutrients.(10 )
Cravings again satisfy the brain ’s reward center.(11)It can be said , thus , that the brain drives your consistency towards this opioid or Intropin sign , which is why you find a craving to have dust or sugary foods.(12 )
craving for junk food are the same as cravings for drug of abuse , cigarette , alcohol , and other addictive item . The thought operation and obsessional nature behind both types of cravings have been establish to be selfsame .
Identical Biological Response in the Brain with Junk Foods and Drugs
Researchers use twist known as functionalMRIscanners to track the changes take piazza in rake menses to certain areas in the wit . descent flowing is flat connect to the activation of picky neurons . Due to this , researchers can use functional MRI scanners to measure out which parts of the brain are getting activated .
Using functional MRI scanners , researchers have found that crave for both junk food and drugs of ill-usage luminosity up or activate the same part of the brain.(13)In fact , one of these animal studies even found that blabber can also become addicted to having certain foods . The studies also find that standardized to drug - addicts , the brain may also predispose rotund people to try food as a reward.(14 )
Same Tolerance Development in Junk Foods and Drugs of Abuse
When we eat sugary and highly processed dust foods , our brain gets flooded with dopamine . In rules of order to counteract this , a protective mechanics gets actuate by the body , and the brainpower then mechanically starts to reduce the bit of Intropin receptor , it has to keep thing under control and in balance .
This process , make out as downregulation , help us develop a allowance to these foods.(15 )
The same cognitive process is know to happen in the genius of drug addict . This ultimately causes citizenry to require large and big doses of the drug as the psyche maintain on decreasing the number of dopamine receptors.(16)(17 )
The same grounds also applies to the intake of junk nutrient and sugar . This is why hoi polloi hook to intellectual nourishment may end up eating huge total beyond their average economic consumption in a single sitting.(18 )
At the same fourth dimension , this also shows that food junkie of junk food may not even be deriving pleasure from eating because the brain has already slim its dopamine receptors as a response to the constant overstimulation of Dopastat .
When the psyche ’s payoff organization gets frequently overstimulated , it responds by cut back on the number of dopamine receptors . This builds up tolerance in the soundbox , which is one of the critical trademark of dependence and is vulgar to food for thought addiction as well .
Binging on Foods and Drugs
Once tolerance start building up , drug addicts will start increase their dosage . So when in the past they used to take just one pill , they will now resort to take two anovulant to attain the same high school . presently it will increase further .
Since due to tolerance , there are now less dopamine receptors in the brain , addicts will want to take a larger dose to get through the same grade of euphory .
This is also the reasonableness why many people start overindulge on junk intellectual nourishment .
Binge eating is a common feature of food habituation and other eating disorders as well.(19)Animal subject area have found that blackleg will binge on delicious junk foods in the same fashion in which they gormandize on addictive drugs.(20)(21 )
Conclusion
There is no real way to measure dependence . There is no specific blood test or piddle test that can limit whether a soul is addicted . Doctors diagnose addiction based on a pattern of behavioral symptoms . There is really no difference between food dependency and drug addiction . Only the substance of abuse changes , and the societal consequences of food addiction are not as severe as drug addiction . Nevertheless , the biological responses in the brain are exactly the same for both character of addiction , and these similarities help evidence the same .
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