Sugar, Processed Foods, and Addiction with Dr. Nicole Avena
While food addiction is not recognized as a formal diagnosis in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), researchers are investigating whether certain foods—particularly highly processed foods—may be associated with behaviors and brain responses that resemble those seen in substance use disorders
In this Ask the Expert video, Dr. Nicole Avena, Professor of Neuroscience at Mount Sinai School of Medicine, discusses emerging research on food and process addiction, including possible connections between substance use and eating patterns. She explains how researchers have applied DSM criteria for substance use disorders to study food consumption and describes findings from animal and human research on how some foods may engage the brain’s reward system in ways similar to drugs, including binge-like consumption, tolerance, withdrawal-like signs, and changes in dopamine activity.
Dr. Avena emphasizes that food is not a drug, and that findings do not establish that people experience food addiction in the same way as substance use disorders. Further research is needed to better understand these potential similarities and their effects on behavior, brain function, and health.