Genetic Similarities between Compulsive Overeating and Addiction Phenotypes: A Case for "Food Addiction"?

Nina Carlier, Victoria S Marshe, Jana Cmorejova, Caroline Davis, Daniel J Müller

Journal: Current psychiatry reports 2016;17(12):96

PMID: 26478196

Abstract

There exists a continuous spectrum of overeating, where at the extremes there are casual overindulgences and at the other a 'pathological' drive to consume palatable foods. It has been proposed that pathological eating behaviors may be the result of addictive appetitive behavior and loss of ability to regulate the consumption of highly processed foods containing refined carbohydrates, fats, salt, and caffeine. In this review, we highlight the genetic similarities underlying substance addiction phenotypes and overeating compulsions seen in individuals with binge eating disorder. We relate these similarities to findings from neuroimaging studies on reward processing and clinical diagnostic criteria based on addiction phenotypes. The abundance of similarities between compulsive overeating and substance addictions puts forth a case for a 'food addiction' phenotype as a valid, diagnosable disorder.

Address: Pharmacogenetics Research Clinic, Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, 250 College Street, Toronto, ON, M5T1R8, Canada.; Institute of Medical Science, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.; Undergraduate Medical Education, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.; Translational Addiction Research Laboratory, Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, ON, Canada.; School of Kinesiology and Health Science, Faculty of Health, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada.; Pharmacogenetics Research Clinic, Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, 250 College Street, Toronto, ON, M5T1R8, Canada. [email protected].; Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada. [email protected].

DOI: 10.1007/s11920-015-0634-5

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https://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11920-015-0634-5

MeSH Terms: Binge-Eating Disorder, Compulsive Behavior, Feeding Behavior, Humans, Hyperphagia, Obesity, Phenotype, Reward, Substance-Related Disorders, Synaptic Transmission