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Linking the Features of Food Addiction and Drug Addiction

a new narrative of dopamine D2 receptors and beyond

  • Living reference work entry
  • First Online:
Handbook of Substance Misuse and Addictions

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Abstract

The global obesity epidemic suggests that the high availability of palatable foods, rich in sugar and fat, could contribute to the occurrence of this scenario epidemic. Recent evidence suggests that as with drug addiction, obesity with compulsive eating behaviors involves reward circuitry of the brain, particularly the circuitry involving dopaminergic neural substrates. These findings lead to the theory that some foods, or substances added to them, can trigger an addiction process by activating in the brain the same reward system generated by drugs, the mesolimbic system via dopamine. Dopamine regulates emotional and motivational behavior via the mesolimbic dopaminergic pathway. Individuals with morbid obesity present a reduction in dopamine D2 receptors and may develop resistance to leptin, leading to compulsive eating and thus hampering weight loss. Palatable foods and drugs seem to activate this same circuit of reward and pleasure in the brain, through the release of dopamine.

Running Title (Short Title): Food and Drug Addiction: Dopamine Link

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Abbreviations

AgRP:

Agouti-related peptide

ARC:

Arcuate nucleus

CNS:

Central nervous system

CCK:

Cholecystokinin

CART:

Cocaine- and amphetamine-regulated transcript

DA:

Dopamine

D1R:

Dopamine D1 receptor

D2R:

Dopamine D2 receptor

DRD4:

Dopamine receptor D4

NPY:

Neuropeptide Y

NAc:

Nucleus accumbens

PYY:

Peptide YY

POMC:

Pro-opiomelanocortin

VTA:

Ventral tegmental area

YFAS:

Yale Food Addiction Scale

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Nutrition, Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Juiz de Fora, Juiz de Fora, MG, Brazil

    Poliana Guiomar Brasiel & Sheila Cristina Potente Dutra Luquetti

Authors
  1. Poliana Guiomar Brasiel
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  2. Sheila Cristina Potente Dutra Luquetti
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Correspondence to Sheila Cristina Potente Dutra Luquetti .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Westminster, London, UK

    Vinood B. Patel

  2. Dept of Nutrition & Dietetics, King's College London, London, UK

    Victor R. Preedy

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Brasiel, P.G., Luquetti, S.C.P.D. (2022). Linking the Features of Food Addiction and Drug Addiction. In: Patel, V.B., Preedy, V.R. (eds) Handbook of Substance Misuse and Addictions. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-67928-6_26-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-67928-6_26-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-67928-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-67928-6

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