By: Karolina Starczak

Nov 12, 2009

Ever notice how once you fall off the healthy eating wagon, it’s not that easy to get back on? Or how that one day of the week where you let yourself indulge in a few not so nutritious items always turns into two? Faltering willpower may not be to blame. According to a recent study done by the National Academy of Sciences, cycles of eating and then depriving ourselves of “forbidden” foods actually trigger an addiction.

When mice were put on a 7 week cycle diet, where they were given regular food for 5 days and chocolate-flavored sugary foods for 2 days, they started to eat less of the regular food and overeating when given the sugary foods. So why did the mice cut back on the healthier food and overindulge on the sugary food? As hard as it may be to believe, the repeated cycles of “forbidden” food caused a response in the mice similar to drug dependence.

The short periods of sugary foods actually triggered a withdrawal effect when the sugary food was stopped. This addicting effect is set off by something called corticotrophin-releasing factor (CRF), which plays a role in the withdrawal seen with substances such as alcohol, nicotine, and cocaine.  The changes in CRF caused by food addiction are shockingly high. When the mice were not being given the sugary food, their CRF levels were 70% higher than mice that were only fed regular food!

Just as with most addictions, the withdrawal also caused anxiety-like behavior in the mice. With an increase in CRF and the added emotional changes, the mice started to ignore the regular food because it did not satisfy their addiction. The mice were simply no longer motivated to obtain and eat the regular, healthier food because only the sugary treats returned their CRF levels back to normal.

Sadly, the same withdrawal effects may be true for us. At least it explains why we have such a hard time kicking our junk food habit. Best solution? Be consistent with your eating—learn how to incorporate all your favorite foods to prevent depriving yourself, which may lead to overeating down the road.

What foods do you find addicting?

More on Overeating
10 Ways to Prevent Overeating
Getting Tricked Into Eating More?
Resist Junk Food Cravings