Leigh, S. J., & Morris, M. J. (2018). The role of reward circuitry and food addiction in the obesity epidemic: An update. Biological Psychology, 131
, 31–42. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biopsycho.2016.12.013
From the research article’s abstract: “The increasing worldwide prevalence of obesity is partially related to the ready availability of highly palatable foods which increases the incidence of hedonic, non-homeostatic feeding. The “food addiction” hypothesis postulates that exposure to these foods alters the brain’s reward circuitry, driving an addiction-like behavioural phenotype of compulsive overeating. This review highlights recent evidence that examines changes in the mesolimbic dopaminergic circuit, the primary component of the reward system, associated with exposure to highly palatable foods and obesity. The majority of obesity studies in animals have not measured addictive-like behaviours, but reports of such behaviours have been restricted to experiments using models of binge eating. Where examined, the prevalence of addiction-like behaviour in overweight and obese subjects indicates that 10–25% of the population meets the Yale Food Addiction Score criteria.