Addicted to Food? Essay

Obesity and over take in ar developing problems in America today. In this bind by Oliver Grimm, he cited studies that invent that in 2000 112,000 deaths were take a crapd by obesity. There is also evidence that up to 1/3 of the US population whitethorn be considered overweight or grievous. These numbers be startling and the root of this problem is under lifelike debate and scientific inquiry.  This search by scientist has led to many discoveries and theories down why some plenty be unable to check out their eating habits or their weight. One question that this article attempts to address is Is overeating and addiction to food similar to drug addiction and what role does body alchemy play?.Hormones are the regulators of the human body. There is much current inquiry being aimed at these chemicals within the body and especially how they affect principal chemistry and maybe even habit-forming doingss. Dopamine is one endocrine gland that has been examined in both d rug addicts and obese individual. Dopamine produces a reenforce sensation in the brain when we get something we want or when we are surprised.There is some explore that says that drug addicts and obese individuals tend to know fewer dopamine receptors in the brain. This may cause them to have the recommend to continue consuming food or drugs beyond a commonplace need. With fewer receptors, the brain may continue to look for moods to englut itself. Research the author cited pointed to rats that were denied dopamine soon would not eat anything. other chemical that may prove to be important in battle the obesity pandemic and drug addiction is leptin. This internal secretion has been shown to curb hurt when it is released from adipose (fat) cells where it eventually reached the hypothalamus. Lab animals deprived of this chemical soon became obese. This hormone may provide a vital link in service severely obese people control their eating. If individuals have a faulty feedba ck mechanism or a lack of production of leptin, this may cause them to want to eat more.Other areas to be explored are how certain part of the brain react to addiction, satiety and pleasure. Areas of the brain that have been researched that Mr. Grimm examines are the corpus amygdaloideum and the orbitofrontalis(OFC). The amygdale seems to have some involvement in our response to food or drugs when we are hungry for them. It does not seem to be activated as much when we have taken in food or drugs. The OFC is for the most part thought of as an area of the brain that helps us to maintain rational behavior and use good judgment. This area may be run differently in addicts.The author says that diet, exercise and lifestyle are the outperform ways to live healthy and control weight. His view however, is that all research cited shows. the brain processes stimuli related to eating in much the same way that it does to other addictive stimuli(Grimm, 2007).  For us to have a better discernment of why certain people find it so hard to control their weight we may have to look more at addictive behaviors and the research that has been conducted. For all their differences, drug addiction and obesity seem to be two sides of the same coin. (Grimm, 2007)2)      What are you being asked to believe in this article?In Mr. Grimms article we asked to believe that 9.1% of medical expenditures if for overweight and obese patients. We are also asked to believe that one-third of the US population may be overweight or obese according to studies. Overweight is delineate a having a body mass index greater than 25. only when put, body mass index is your weight divided by your height. We are asked to believe that obesity and being overweight are at epidemic proportions in this country.We are also being asked to believe that much of a individuals behavior when it comes to addiction and food exercise in obese individuals may be directly related to the perso ns brain chemistry or factors affecting it. While the author agrees that at that place are many factors in a healthy lifestyle and behavior control, much of the article deals with research that says that hormones, brain function and chemical exertion are huge contributors in how a person reacts to stimuli.Leptin and dopamine are seen as avenues that may steer to breakthroughs in the area of obesity. Areas of the brain such(prenominal) as the amygdala and the OFC are seen as possible areas that may lead to a better understanding of cravings and addictions.I believe that the main cerebration that the author is trying to convey is that drug addiction and food consumption are very closely related. We are asked to consider that a person who is obese may be in a similar troth as a drug addict. The article says that drugs that help drug addicts may also help us to treat severe obesity. Again we are asked to parallel the two dilemmas and weigh their relevance to one another. It is hard for people to associate obesity with drug addiction, but Mr. Grimm would like us depend otherwise and keep an open mind to the possibility of research in drug addiction that could lead to breakthroughs in obesity and weight management.