The DOI matches its Crossref record; 184 of the 185 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Is Fast Food Addictive?
Abstract
Studies of food addiction have focused on highly palatable foods. While fast food falls squarely into that category, it has several other attributes that may increase its salience. This review examines whether the nutrients present in fast food, the characteristics of fast food consumers or the presentation and packaging of fast food may encourage substance dependence, as defined by the American Psychiatric Association. The majority of fast food meals are accompanied by a soda, which increases the sugar content 10-fold. Sugar addiction, including tolerance and withdrawal, has been demonstrated in rodents but not humans. Caffeine is a "model" substance of dependence; coffee drinks are driving the recent increase in fast food sales. Limited evidence suggests that the high fat and salt content of fast food may increase addictive potential. Fast food restaurants cluster in poorer neighborhoods and obese adults eat more fast food than those who are normal weight. Obesity is characterized by resistance to insulin, leptin and other hormonal signals that would normally control appetite and limit reward. Neuroimaging studies in obese subjects provide evidence of altered reward and tolerance. Once obese, many individuals meet criteria for psychological dependence. Stress and dieting may sensitize an individual to reward. Finally, fast food advertisements, restaurants and menus all provide environmental cues that may trigger addictive overeating. While the concept of fast food addiction remains to be proven, these findings support the role of fast food as a potentially addictive substance that is most likely to create dependence in vulnerable populations.
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“the response to foods in humans, is far more complex, and is influenced not just by its palatability but also by its availability (the patterns of restriction plus overeating, referred to as the eating topography (16)), its visual appeal, economics and incentives (i.e., ‘super sizing’ offers, soda combos), social routines for eating, alternative reinforcement and advertisements (17).”
From Obesity and addiction: Neurobiological overlaps (2013) · cites this paper as [17]
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Metadata
- Authors
- K. Garber, A., & H. Lustig, R.
- Venue
- Current Drug Abuse Reviewse
- Publisher
- Bentham Science Publishers Ltd.
- Published
- 2011-09-01
- Volume
- 4
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 146-162
- ISSN
- 1874-4737 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2092089565
- Cited by
- 143
- References
- 185
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2025: 4 · 2023: 8 · 2022: 5 · 2021: 12 · 2020: 50 · 2019: 5 · 2018: 6 · 2017: 3 · 2016: 9 · 2015: 9 · 2014: 11 · 2013: 11 · 2012: 6
- FWCI
- 10.35
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Current Drug Abuse Reviews (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- National Center for Research Resources (UL1RR024131)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Eating Disorders and Behaviors
- Health Sciences › Nursing › Nutrition and Dietetics › Nutrition, Health and Food Behavior
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Endocrine and Autonomic Systems › Regulation of Appetite and Obesity
- Keywords
- food addiction, sugar addiction, caffeine dependence, obesity, insulin resistance, leptin resistance, food advertising, environmental cues, stress, dieting, highly palatable food, substance dependence
- MeSH terms
- Animals, Caffeine, Cues, Diet, Reducing, Dietary Fats, Humans, Stress, Psychological, Behavior, Addictive, Sodium Chloride, Dietary, Dietary Sucrose, Substance-Related Disorders, Fast Foods
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