Health & Medicine
Impulsivity may be a Risk Factor for Food Addiction
Kathleen Lees
First Posted: May 06, 2014 09:48 PM EDT
Are you an impulsive person? If so, chances are that it might also be more difficult for you to control your eating habits.
According to researchers from the Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) in collaboration with the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom, there is a potential link between impulsivity and food addiction.
Research has shown that people with eating disorders are typically more impulsive than those with healthy eating habits. However, previous studies were unable to determine whether the impulsivity existed prior to the dysfunctional eating patterns.
For the study, researchers worked to measure this question by measuring the level of impulsiveness in those who were exposed to a diet high in sugar daily for one hour. Findings showed that those who were more impulsive were more likely to binge eat. On the other hand, those who were more patient were able to control their diet and show normal eating patterns.
The impulsive models also showed increased expression of a transcription factor known as Delta-FosB that's found in the nucleus accumbens. This is an area of the brain that's involved in reward evaluation as well as impulsive behaviors, according to Science Codex.
"While impulsivity might have aided ancestors to choose calorie-rich foods when food was scarce, our study results suggest that, in today's calorie-rich environment, impulsivity promotes pathological overeating," said Pietro Cottone, PhD, co-director of the Laboratory of Addictive Disorders and associate professor of pharmacology and psychiatry at BUSM.
"Our results add further evidence to the idea that there are similar mechanisms involved in both drug and food addiction behavior," said Clara Velazquez-Sanchez, PhD, postdoctoral fellow in the Laboratory of Addictive Disorder and first author of the study.
More information regarding the findings can be seen via the journal Neuropsychopharmacology.
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First Posted: May 06, 2014 09:48 PM EDT
Are you an impulsive person? If so, chances are that it might also be more difficult for you to control your eating habits.
According to researchers from the Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) in collaboration with the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom, there is a potential link between impulsivity and food addiction.
Research has shown that people with eating disorders are typically more impulsive than those with healthy eating habits. However, previous studies were unable to determine whether the impulsivity existed prior to the dysfunctional eating patterns.
For the study, researchers worked to measure this question by measuring the level of impulsiveness in those who were exposed to a diet high in sugar daily for one hour. Findings showed that those who were more impulsive were more likely to binge eat. On the other hand, those who were more patient were able to control their diet and show normal eating patterns.
The impulsive models also showed increased expression of a transcription factor known as Delta-FosB that's found in the nucleus accumbens. This is an area of the brain that's involved in reward evaluation as well as impulsive behaviors, according to Science Codex.
"While impulsivity might have aided ancestors to choose calorie-rich foods when food was scarce, our study results suggest that, in today's calorie-rich environment, impulsivity promotes pathological overeating," said Pietro Cottone, PhD, co-director of the Laboratory of Addictive Disorders and associate professor of pharmacology and psychiatry at BUSM.
"Our results add further evidence to the idea that there are similar mechanisms involved in both drug and food addiction behavior," said Clara Velazquez-Sanchez, PhD, postdoctoral fellow in the Laboratory of Addictive Disorder and first author of the study.
More information regarding the findings can be seen via the journal Neuropsychopharmacology.
See Now: NASA's Juno Spacecraft's Rendezvous With Jupiter's Mammoth Cyclone