People classify alcoholism as a "real" addiction, but when it comes to obesity, it's assumed that people should just eat less (or better) and exercise more.
There are more similarities between food addiction and addiction to drugs or alcohol than you may think. For example, dopamine "rushes" work exactly the same way with food as with cocaine.
The American Medical Association has officially recognized obesity as a disease, a move that could induce physicians to pay more attention to the condition and spur more insurers to pay for treatments.
Why is obesity recognized as a disease, and not necessarily an addiction?
In The Hunger Fix, Dr. Pam Peeke uses the latest neuroscience to explain how unhealthy food and behavioral "fixes" have gotten us ensnared in a vicious cycle of overeating and addiction.
Can traditional addiction treatments help reduce the obesity epidemic?
Dr. Peeke and Michelle King Robson discuss the relationship between food and addiction, as well as the three-stage plan to break the addiction to false fixes and replace them with healthier actions.