Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics, and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany.
Am J Clin Nutr. 2021 Feb 2;113(2):274-276. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/nqaa345.
There is an ongoing scientific debate about whether unhealthy, highly processed foods are addictive and whether this contributes to overeating and obesity. Through this debate series, we identified numerous points of consensus, including that 1) addictive-like eating exists, 2) mechanisms implicated in substance-related and addictive disorders contribute to overeating and obesity, and 3) food industry practices are also a key contributor to this phenomenon. We also agree that obesity, a multifaceted condition, is not synonymous with addictive-like eating and that further research is needed to clarify the understanding of addictive-like eating. Disagreements remain regarding the strength of evidence that highly processed foods are addictive, the appropriate framework for conceptualizing addictive-like eating, and the societal implications of identifying unhealthy, highly processed foods as addictive. Finally, we highlight future research needed to address existing gaps in the scientific literature that underlie continuing controversies, most notably the need for scientific consensus about what measures should be used to evaluate whether highly processed foods are addictive.
关于不健康、高度加工的食品是否具有成瘾性，以及这是否导致暴饮暴食和肥胖，科学界一直在争论。通过这次的辩论系列，我们确定了许多共识，包括：1）存在类似成瘾的进食行为；2）与物质相关和成瘾障碍相关的机制有助于暴饮暴食和肥胖；3）食品行业的做法也是造成这种现象的一个关键因素。我们还认为，肥胖是一种多方面的病症，与类似成瘾的进食行为不能划等号，需要进一步的研究来阐明对类似成瘾的进食行为的理解。对于高度加工食品具有成瘾性的证据强度、将类似成瘾的进食行为概念化的适当框架，以及将不健康、高度加工的食品认定为具有成瘾性的社会影响，仍存在分歧。最后，我们强调了需要开展未来的研究来解决现有科学文献中的差距，这些差距是持续争议的基础，尤其是需要就应该使用哪些措施来评估高度加工食品是否具有成瘾性达成科学共识。
