Obesity and the brain: how convincing is the addiction model?

H Ziauddeen, IS Farooqi, PC Fletcher - Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 2012 - nature.com
Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 2012nature.com
An increasingly influential perspective conceptualizes both obesity and overeating as a food
addiction accompanied by corresponding brain changes. Because there are far-reaching
implications for clinical practice and social policy if it becomes widely accepted, a critical
evaluation of this model is important. We examine the current evidence for the link between
addiction and obesity, identifying several fundamental shortcomings in the model, as well as
weaknesses and inconsistencies in the empirical support for it from human neuroscientific …
Abstract
An increasingly influential perspective conceptualizes both obesity and overeating as a food addiction accompanied by corresponding brain changes. Because there are far-reaching implications for clinical practice and social policy if it becomes widely accepted, a critical evaluation of this model is important. We examine the current evidence for the link between addiction and obesity, identifying several fundamental shortcomings in the model, as well as weaknesses and inconsistencies in the empirical support for it from human neuroscientific research.
nature.com