January 3, 2017 — Drug addiction changes human brains. One of those changes is a depletion of dopamine receptors. In obesity, dopamine and its receptors may have a role, but many questions remain. And now, new animal research raises yet another question. Could it be that changes in dopamine receptors make physical activity more difficult in obesity? Danielle Friend […]
December 18, 2016 — American life expectancy is taking a hit. And that discomforting news leads us back to parallel trends in addiction, depression, and obesity. Recently, Surgeon General Vivek Murthy recently called the nation to action on addiction, pointing out that opioid use has now surpassed tobacco use. Likewise, rising suicide rates and rates of depression, particularly among […]
November 14, 2016 — Perhaps you’ve seen Ricky Ricardo bringing Lucy pickles and sardines to go with her milkshakes on that classic episode of I Love Lucy. That’s a memorable depiction of craving foods that you might not really like. A new study in Appetite tackles the subject in a slightly more scientific way. Sarah Polk and colleagues set out […]
June 23, 2016 — A new commentary published in the International Journal of Obesity brings attention to rising concerns about the double stigma of addiction and obesity. Nasreen Alfaris and colleagues present the case of a patient at the Mass General Weight Management Center distressed by being characterized as a drug addict during a bariatric pre-op evaluation. The reason? […]
January 25, 2016 — The headline brought a cringe: “Can shame be useful?” Writing in the New York Times, psychiatrist Sally Satel and psychologist Scott Lilienfeld say that: The experience of shame – the feeling that one has failed to live up to one’s own standards – can play a positive role in recovery from addiction, as well as from other […]
November 15, 2015 — Food addiction continues to be a slippery concept, but one that has tremendous popular appeal. Some individuals with obesity are steadfast in their convictions that addiction to particular foods plays the a key role in their in their condition. However, objective evidence for addictive disorders in obesity has been elusive. In Progress in Brain Research, […]
April 3, 2015 — The twelve steps of Alcoholics Anonymous represent a foundational approach to treating alcoholism that’s lately been attracting rational scrutiny and criticism. In the latest issue of the Atlantic, Gabrielle Glaser says that “researchers have debunked central tenets of AA doctrine and found dozens of other treatments more effective.” Sounds a bit harsh, doesn’t it? The twelve […]
January 8, 2015 — In dealing with obesity, it may be that healthy choices are overrated. Where you eat — healthy environments — may be more important than resolving to make healthy choices. How can this be? In a recent interview with NPR, psychologist David Neal explains: Once a behavior had been repeated a lot, especially if the person does it […]
