At the Rose we often find that our client have addictions with eating disorders; anorexia, bulimia and compulsive overeating, just as much as their addictions to drugs and alcohol. Often times women with eating disorders have an affection for sugary foods. The reason for this may be found in the work of some Swedish researchers who found that mice with a malfunctioning circuit in their brains were attracted to both sugar and cocaine. Addiction to drugs such as cocaine can be caused by a faulty reward system in the brain and the same flaw leads to a weakness for sugary foods. Mice with a ‘flaw’ in their brain’s signaling eagerly sought out both cocaine and sugary foods. The responses were the mice seemed to remember places where they had ‘drug experiences’ better. The Swedish researchers describe the finding as a ‘key piece’ in the battle against addiction and obesity. The brain sends out the natural chemical dopamine when we eat certain foods, have sex or exercise, giving a feeling of pleasure.
However, drugs can ‘kidnap’ this natural reward system and ‘re-wire’ nerve cells in the brain which leads to addiction and craving for the drugs. Sugary foods cause the same ‘rewiring’, say Swedish researchers. The research found that mice who had a ‘faulty’ circuit in their brain were easier prey for both sugar and cocaine – seeking out food and the drug, and responding more strongly to both. In the brain, dopamine works in conjunction with a brain receptor glutamate which is a crucial chemical in assisting memory. Researchers found that mice who were unable to ‘co-signal’ – as the process is known – would consume more cocaine and sugar than control mice.
