A food addiction or eating addiction is any
behavioral addiction
Behavioral addiction, process addiction, or non-substance-related disorder is a form of addiction that involves a compulsive behavior, compulsion to engage in a rewarding non-Chemical substance, substance-related behavior – sometimes called a n ...
characterized primarily by the
compulsive consumption of
palatable and
hyperpalatable
Hyperpalatable food (HPF) combines high levels of fat, sugar, sodium, and/or carbohydrates to trigger the brain's reward system, encouraging excessive eating. The concept of hyperpalatability is foundational to ultra-processed foods, which are us ...
food items, and potentially also
sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs). Such foods often have
high sugar, fat, and salt contents (
HFSS), and markedly activate the
reward system
The reward system (the mesocorticolimbic circuit) is a group of neural structures responsible for incentive salience (i.e., "wanting"; desire or craving for a reward and motivation), associative learning (primarily positive reinforcement and c ...
in humans and other animals. Those with eating addictions often overconsume such foods despite the adverse consequences (such as
excess weight gain,
diabetes
Diabetes mellitus, commonly known as diabetes, is a group of common endocrine diseases characterized by sustained high blood sugar levels. Diabetes is due to either the pancreas not producing enough of the hormone insulin, or the cells of th ...
, and
heart disease
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is any disease involving the heart or blood vessels. CVDs constitute a class of diseases that includes: coronary artery diseases (e.g. angina pectoris, angina, myocardial infarction, heart attack), heart failure, ...
) associated with their overconsumption.
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