According to the American neurologist Ann E. Kelley, the answer is found in natural endogenous opiates , substances synthesized in our own brain that increase appetite. One of these opiates, enkephalin , pushes us to consume food, especially fats and sugars, beyond our energy needs. In addition, these substances stimulate the nucleus accumbens, which is an area of the brain responsible for registering the sensations of pleasure and reward in the face of stimuli such as food or drugs, thus promoting addictive behavior .
The addiction is especially evident in the case of foods rich in sugar, according to the professor of the University of Princenton (USA) John Hoebel. In his experiments with rats, the researcher observed that if he fed the animals for a certain time 25 percent sugar in the diet, when he removed this ingredient, the rodents would experience a state of anxiety similar to that experienced by those who try to disengage from a diet. drug. "Some animals, including humans, can become dependent on sweet foods ," says Hoebel. "The brain becomes addicted to its own opiates in the same way as it would to heroin or morphine," he points out.
