Highly processed foods and addiction with Ashley Gearhardt
Addiction Audio5 Dec 2022

Highly processed foods and addiction with Ashley Gearhardt

In this episode of Addiction Audio, Rob Talks to Dr Ashley Gearhardt from the University of Michigan about whether highly processed foods can be considered to be addictive substances.

Dr Gearhardt starts by defining highly processed foods before covering the issues that arise from having an addictive substance (such as food) that you can’t ‘opt out’ of. Ashley makes comparisons with other addictive substances noting that highly processed foods can induce cravings and lead to a loss of control. She then talks about which foods have a bigger impact on addictive behaviours highlighting foods that contain refined sugars and added fats such as pizzas and donuts.

Rob and Ashley then discuss the limits to research whereby there is little agreement on how to define an addictive substance. This is in stark contrast with a growing consensus on how to identify addictive behaviours. There are, for example, agreed diagnostic criteria for addiction, but there is less agreement on how to define whether a substance is addictive.

They also talk about how a substance that isn’t intoxicating can be addictive.

“It isn’t necessarily the amount of pleasure or liking you get at the moment you consume them [highly processed foods], but the ability that they have to sensitise motivation systems to want more and more and more”


“We argue that we need to treat these highly processed foods, not so much as foods per se but as highly refined substances that have been engineered to be incredibly rewarding.”


Original article: Highly processed foods can be considered addictive substances based on established scientific criteria by Ashley Gearhardt and Alexandra DiFeliceantonio. Published in Addiction (2022)

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Avsnitt(119)

The future of e-cigarette research with Monserrat Conde

The future of e-cigarette research with Monserrat Conde

In this episode, Dr Chloe Burke talks to Dr Monserrat Conde, a researcher at the Nuffield Department of Primary Care Sciences, University of Oxford, UK. The interview covers a short report on the resu...

13 Mars 15min

Psilocybin's potential in treating methamphetamine use disorder with Jonathan Brett

Psilocybin's potential in treating methamphetamine use disorder with Jonathan Brett

In this episode, Dr Elle Wadsworth talks to Professor Jonathan Brett, a senior consultant at St. Vincent’s Hospital, Sydney, clinical director of the Psychiatry and Non-Prescription Drug and Alcohol U...

6 Mars 19min

Ultra-processed food addiction in older US adults with Lucy Loch

Ultra-processed food addiction in older US adults with Lucy Loch

In this episode, Dr Tsen Vei Lim speaks to Lucy Loch, a doctoral candidate in the Department of Psychology at the University of Michigan, US. The interview covers Lucy’s research article on ultra-proc...

27 Feb 15min

Intersectionality in smoking cessation with Jonathan Bricker

Intersectionality in smoking cessation with Jonathan Bricker

In this episode, Annika Theodoulou speaks to Professor Jonathan Bricker, a Professor of Public Health at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and Affiliate Professor of Psychiatry at the Univers...

20 Feb 17min

Estimating risk of cannabis use disorder using standard THC units with Rachel Lees Thorne and Tom Freeman

Estimating risk of cannabis use disorder using standard THC units with Rachel Lees Thorne and Tom Freeman

In this episode, Dr Elle Wadsworth talks to Dr Rachel Lees Thorne, a postdoctoral research associate and Professor Tom Freeman, a professor of psychology, both from the Addiction and Mental Health Gro...

13 Feb 16min

Smoking cessation among adults with substance use problems with Olufemi Erinoso and Jennifer Pearson

Smoking cessation among adults with substance use problems with Olufemi Erinoso and Jennifer Pearson

In this episode, Dr Zoe Swithenbank speaks to Dr Olufemi Erinoso, a postdoctoral fellow at the Massachusetts General Hospital and Dr Jennifer Pearson, an Associate Professor in the School of Public He...

6 Feb 18min

Psilocybin therapy for alcohol use disorder and depression with Amandine Luquiens

Psilocybin therapy for alcohol use disorder and depression with Amandine Luquiens

In this episode, Dr Tsen Vei Lim speaks to Professor Amandine Luquiens, a psychiatrist and addiction specialist at the University of Montpellier and the Addiction Department of Nîmes University Hospit...

30 Jan 15min

Stress and online social networks with Annica Kessling and Elisa Wegmann

Stress and online social networks with Annica Kessling and Elisa Wegmann

In this episode, Dr Tsen Vei Lim speaks to Dr Elisa Wegmann and Annica Kessling, a post-doctoral research fellow and a PhD student at the University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany. The interview covers An...

23 Jan 20min

Populärt inom Vetenskap

svd-nyhetsartiklar
dumma-manniskor
p3-dystopia
allt-du-velat-veta
rss-ufo-bortom-rimligt-tvivel
kapitalet-en-podd-om-ekonomi
rss-vetenskapsradion-2
det-morka-psyket
rss-vetenskapsradion
medicinvetarna
sexet
bildningspodden
4health-med-anna-sparre
rss-geopodden-2
rss-experimentet
vetenskapsradion
halsorevolutionen
rss-spraket
dumforklarat
rss-arkeologi-historia-podden-som-graver-i-vart-kulturlandskap