ABSTRACT
In spite of obesity-related sequelae such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and hypertension, public health experts suggest that we have a worldwide obesity epidemic that seems resistant to solution. In this chapter, we examine one plausible explanation for the epidemic: that obesity is in part a symptom of the consequences of an addiction to rened foods such as sugars, articial sweeteners, ˆour, salt, caffeine, processed fats, and dairy products. This hypothesis can be framed by asking several key questions: (a) How is overeating similar to other chemical dependencies, such as drug and alcohol addiction? (b) does the evidence support the concept that overeating is a kind of addiction? and (c) are today’s rened foods and highly processed commercial food products addictive in nature, thereby contributing to the spread of obesity and eating disorders?
