Ivezaj, V., Stoeckel, L. E., Avena, N. M., Benoit, S. C., Conason, A., Davis, J. F., Gearhardt, A. N., Goldman, R., Mitchell, J. E., Ochner, C. N., Saules, K. K., Steffen, K. J., Stice, E., & Sogg, S. (2017). Obesity and addiction: can a complication of surgery help us understand the connection? Obesity Reviews, 18
(7), 765–775. https://doi.org/10.1111/obr.12542
From the research article’s summary: “Obesity is a multifactorial, chronic disease that has proven difficult to treat. An increased understanding of aetiological mechanisms is critical to the development of more effective obesity prevention and treatment strategies. A growing body of empirical evidence has demonstrated parallels between obesity, overeating and substance abuse, including shared behavioural, psychological and neurophysiological factors implicated in the excessive intake of both food and substances of abuse. Several different lines of research have recently emerged that hold the potential to shed light on the connection between obesity, food reward and addiction, with studies examining changes in alcohol use/misuse after weight loss surgery providing a particularly interesting perspective on these interrelationships. However, these lines of investigation have proceeded in relative isolation, and relevant research findings have yet to be integrated in a synthesized, comprehensive manner.