Shared Urges? The Links Between Drugs of Abuse, Eating, and Body Weight

Abstract

The results of several behavioral and neurophysiological studies suggest that some obese people respond to foods in a manner that resembles the behavior of drug dependent persons toward drugs. Indeed, there are common mechanisms in the brain responsible for the reinforcement of eating and drug use by food and drugs respectively and for the cue incentives associated with them. There is some evidence that dependence in one modality may influence the other. Active drug use is associated with normal (or even low) body weight but recovery from drug dependence may lead to increased consumption of food and ultimately to weight gain. It is possible that drug abstinence leads to incentive seeking in the food domain, increased food consumption, and weight gain. Thus, those in treatment for substance use disorders may benefit from weight maintenance counseling. © 2013 Springer Science+Business Media New York.