Food Addiction Research Paper

Food should be safely consumed without unnecessary thoughts of fear or regret within the individuals, however companies relentlessly target consumers by chemically modifying food to increase profit. One must not feel the need to worry about lethal products or ingredients that are present within purchased food. The manipulation of the consumer by major food companies presents a major issue that requires a quick solution in order to improve health within America. Many within America suffer from addiction to many food products. The constant craving and consumption of these goods leads to the accumulation of disease and can cause drastic weight gain. As stated within Laura Rimmer’s podcast, “The Fast Food Genocide,” “Food addiction is known as

Major food corporations target the reward center of the brain, mixing and producing chemical concoctions that produce a reaction, and the creation of hormones in this section of the brain. Hormones such as dopamine, the hormone most responsible for creating the emotion of happiness, can be constantly produced while consuming certain types of food. The chemicals that produce such reactions reduce nutrients located in food, so many benefits from eating these foods are severely reduced. Companies seek to increase and stimulate this reaction, so the brain will constantly produce craving. Overtime, the effect of the reaction may begin to decrease as the receptors in this section of the brain dull. To produce the same feeling of pleasure, an increased amount of the product must be consumed to trigger the reaction, which results in the addiction to a certain meals. Many connect signs of food addiction to the actions of a drug addict. One may be unable to receive the same pleasurable reaction and begin to abuse other, more harmful substances. Food addiction the main cause of obesity, allowing one to rapidly increase and gain weight through the constant consumption of food. When one gains weight, ones body naturally develops an immunity to bodily produced insulin. This is the leading cause of the development of diabetes in those that are obese or overweight. More than 60% of the reported cases of diabetes are blamed on the BMI of the individual. Other symptoms such as heart failure or disease may develop from this accumulation of weight. Substances within food assist in clogging arteries, reducing blood flow and oxygen within the body, leading to strokes or heart