Food addiction and metabolic diseases

Abstract

The prevalence of metabolic diseases such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, dyslipidemia and hypertension has increased in the last few decades, particularly in countries and geographical regions where traditional eating habits have been replaced by an abundance of low-cost, sugar-, animal fat- and salt-rich foods. Global public health strategies that attempt to control massive consumption of unhealthy foods, as well as efforts by physicians and patients themselves to regulate harmful eating habits, have mostly proven disappointing. This suggests that control excessive food consumption is not simply a question of volition to be modulated, but that could in fact represent food addiction. This idea could represent a paradigm shift in the approach to the various diseases in which nutrition plays a prominent role. The aim of this paper is to present the elements that make up food addiction and their possible relation to metabolic diseases. This overview is important to prevent and contain diseases that impact on population.

Keywords

• Food. Addiction. Nutrition. Metabolic Diseases. Public Health.