A couple of days ago, a friend told me that she couldn’t keep sweets in the house because they set off uncontrolled eating. She wondered if she might be addicted to sugar or carbs. That same day, I came across the summary of a research article that appeared in the journal Nature Neuroscience about signs of fat addiction in a group of obese laboratory rats who were fed a high fat diet. And maybe you’ve heard about people who have undergone gastroplasty – stomach surgery that forces them to eat less – only to develop other “addictions” like smoking, drinking, or gambling.

I don’t know what course of action to recommend if you think you might be addicted to a certain type of food. Working as hard as you can to lose weight and, more importantly, keep it off for a long time, may be part of the answer. In the rat study above, only obese rats showed signs of fat addiction while thin rats did not. Personally, I found it easier and easier to avoid temptation the longer I maintained my weight loss (I gained 40 pounds in high school, lost it by the end of college, and am at about the same weight now).

Overcoming a food addiction is difficult and there’s no denying that sticking with new eating habits is hard. Remember to seek out whatever support maintain a healthier relationship with food, whether that support comes in the form of friends, family, a healthcare professional, books and recipes (like 400 Calorie Fix), or your own inner strength.

[ Photo credit: rallycat! via Flickr]