Diet, drugs, and the brain: Are ultra-processed foods a gateway to addiction?

Authors

  • M Carmen Blanco-Gandia University of Zaragoza (Spain).
  • Macarena Gonzalez-Portilla University of Valencia (Spain).
  • Marta Rodriguez-Arias University of Valencia (Spain).

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.7203/metode.11.16195

Keywords:

high-fat diet, sugar, pleasure, addiction, drugs

Abstract

Foods that are rich in fats and sugars are pleasurable because they stimulate our reward circuits, the same circuits that are activated by drugs. In a context in which unhealthy diets and drug abuse are common from adolescence, it is important to investigate their consequences. This article reviews the relationship between especially tasty food, our brain’s reward system, and drug use. Studies with animal models have proven that an intermittent high-fat diet during adolescence increases the consumption of cocaine and ethanol. Moreover, recent research has shown the fundamental role of the diet in the development and treatment of addictions.

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Author Biographies

M Carmen Blanco-Gandia, University of Zaragoza (Spain).

PhD in Psychology and tenure-track 1 professor in the area of evolutionary and educational psychology in the Department of Psychology and Sociology at the University of Zaragoza (Spain). She holds a master’s degree in Research, Treatment and Associated Pathologies in Drug Addiction and is a member of the Psychobiology of Drug Dependence Research Unit of the University of Valencia (Spain). Her scientific career focuses on studying the role of diet in cocaine and alcohol abuse.  

Macarena Gonzalez-Portilla, University of Valencia (Spain).

Graduate in Psychology, with a master’s degree in Basic and Applied Neuroscience. She currently holds an FPU grant at the Department of Psychobiology, in the Psychobiology of Drug Dependence Research Unit at the University of Valencia (Spain). Her research addresses the neuro-inflammatory effects of high-fat diets and alcohol abuse in adolescents. 

Marta Rodriguez-Arias, University of Valencia (Spain).

Full Professor of Psychobiology in the Faculty of Psychology at the University of Valencia (Spain). Her research activity focuses on studying the neurobiological bases of drug addiction, especially to cocaine and alcohol. She has published over 130 papers in scientific journals and manages many collaboration projects with the Principe Felipe Research Centre, Pompeu Fabra University, and Monash University, among other institutions. Some of her most important works address the impact of stress in drug abuse and, more recently, the role of diet as a vulnerability factor in the development of addiction.

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Published

2021-01-21

How to Cite

Blanco-Gandia, M. C., Gonzalez-Portilla, M., & Rodriguez-Arias, M. (2021). Diet, drugs, and the brain: Are ultra-processed foods a gateway to addiction?. Metode Science Studies Journal, (11), 139–145. https://doi.org/10.7203/metode.11.16195
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Science's structures (2021)

Section

Good to eat. Food and health at a time of information overload

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