Skip to main content

Main menu

  • Home
  • About
    • Clinical Chemistry
    • Editorial Board
    • Most Read
    • Most Cited
    • Alerts
  • Articles
    • Current Issue
    • Early Release
    • Future Table of Contents
    • Archive
    • Browse by Subject
  • Info for
    • Authors
    • Reviewers
    • Subscribers
    • Advertisers
    • Permissions & Reprints
  • Resources
    • AACC Learning Lab
    • Clinical Chemistry Trainee Council
    • Clinical Case Studies
    • Clinical Chemistry Guide to Scientific Writing
    • Clinical Chemistry Guide to Manuscript Review
    • Journal Club
    • Podcasts
    • Q&A
    • Translated Content
  • Abstracts
  • Submit
  • Contact
  • Other Publications
    • The Journal of Applied Laboratory Medicine

User menu

  • Subscribe
  • My alerts
  • Log in

Search

  • Advanced search
Clinical Chemistry
  • Other Publications
    • The Journal of Applied Laboratory Medicine
  • Subscribe
  • My alerts
  • Log in
Clinical Chemistry

Advanced Search

  • Home
  • About
    • Clinical Chemistry
    • Editorial Board
    • Most Read
    • Most Cited
    • Alerts
  • Articles
    • Current Issue
    • Early Release
    • Future Table of Contents
    • Archive
    • Browse by Subject
  • Info for
    • Authors
    • Reviewers
    • Subscribers
    • Advertisers
    • Permissions & Reprints
  • Resources
    • AACC Learning Lab
    • Clinical Chemistry Trainee Council
    • Clinical Case Studies
    • Clinical Chemistry Guide to Scientific Writing
    • Clinical Chemistry Guide to Manuscript Review
    • Journal Club
    • Podcasts
    • Q&A
    • Translated Content
  • Abstracts
  • Submit
  • Contact
Review ArticleMini-Reviews

Food Addiction, High-Glycemic-Index Carbohydrates, and Obesity

Belinda Lennerz, Jochen K. Lennerz
DOI: 10.1373/clinchem.2017.273532 Published January 2018
Belinda Lennerz
Boston Children's Hospital, Division of Endocrinology & Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA;
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • For correspondence: belinda.lennerz@childrens.harvard.edu
Jochen K. Lennerz
Massachusetts General Hospital, Department of Pathology, Center for Integrated Diagnostics & Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA.
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • Article
  • Figures & Data
  • Info & Metrics
  • PDF
Loading

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Treatment success in obesity remains low, and recently food addiction has been delineated as an underlying etiologic factor with therapeutic relevance. Specifically, current treatment focuses on reduced food intake and increase of physical activity, whereas interventions for addiction encompass behavioral therapy, abstinence, and environmental interventions such as taxation, restrictions on advertising, and regulation of school menus.

CONTENT: Here, we reviewed the pertinent literature on food addiction with a specific focus on the role of high-glycemic-index carbohydrates in triggering addictive symptoms. Three lines of evidence support the concept of food addiction: (a) behavioral responses to certain foods are similar to substances of abuse; (b) food intake regulation and addiction rely on similar neurobiological circuits; (c) individuals suffering from obesity or addiction show similar neurochemical- and brain activation patterns.

High-glycemic-index carbohydrates elicit a rapid shift in blood glucose and insulin levels, akin to the pharmacokinetics of addictive substances. Similar to drugs of abuse, glucose and insulin signal to the mesolimbic system to modify dopamine concentration. Sugar elicits addiction-like craving, and self-reported problem foods are rich in high-glycemic-index carbohydrates. These properties make high-glycemic-index carbohydrates plausible triggers for food addiction.

SUMMARY: We argue that food addiction is a plausible etiological factor contributing to the heterogeneous condition and phenotype of obesity. In at least a subset of vulnerable individuals, high-glycemic-index carbohydrates trigger addiction-like neurochemical and behavioral responses.

  • Received for publication August 21, 2017.
  • Accepted for publication November 7, 2017.
  • © 2017 American Association for Clinical Chemistry
View Full Text

Pay Per Article - You may access this article (from the computer you are currently using) for 1 day for US$15.00

Regain Access - You can regain access to a recent Pay per Article purchase if your access period has not yet expired.

Log in using your username and password

Forgot your user name or password?
Forgot your username or password?

Log in through your institution

If your organization uses OpenAthens, you can log in using your OpenAthens username and password. To check if your institution is supported, please see this list. Contact your library for more details.
PreviousNext
Back to top

In this issue

Clinical Chemistry: 64 (1)
Vol. 64, Issue 1
January 2018
  • Table of Contents
  • About the Cover
  • Index by author
  • Table of Contents (PDF)
  • Cover (PDF)
  • Advertising (PDF)
  • Ed Board (PDF)
  • Front Matter (PDF)
  • Audio summary of this issue
Print
Share
Food Addiction, High-Glycemic-Index Carbohydrates, and Obesity
Belinda Lennerz, Jochen K. Lennerz
Clinical Chemistry Jan 2018, 64 (1) 64-71; DOI: 10.1373/clinchem.2017.273532
del.icio.us logo Digg logo Reddit logo Twitter logo CiteULike logo Facebook logo Google logo Mendeley logo
Article Alerts
Sign In to Email Alerts with your Email Address
Citation Tools
Food Addiction, High-Glycemic-Index Carbohydrates, and Obesity
Belinda Lennerz, Jochen K. Lennerz
Clinical Chemistry Jan 2018, 64 (1) 64-71; DOI: 10.1373/clinchem.2017.273532

Citation Manager Formats

  • BibTeX
  • Bookends
  • EasyBib
  • EndNote (tagged)
  • EndNote 8 (xml)
  • Medlars
  • Mendeley
  • Papers
  • RefWorks Tagged
  • Ref Manager
  • RIS
  • Zotero

  • Tweet Widget
  • Facebook Like
  • Google Plus One

Jump to section

  • Article
    • Abstract
    • A Neurobiological Basis for Food Addiction
    • Linking Food Addiction to Obesity
    • What Triggers Food Addiction?
    • Sugar, Artificial Sweeteners, and High-GI Carbohydrates
    • Diagnostic and Management Implications
    • Summary
    • Acknowledgment
    • Footnotes
    • References
  • Figures & Data
  • Info & Metrics
  • PDF

Related Articles

Cited By...

More in this TOC Section

  • Wearables for Promoting Physical Activity
  • Evolving Use of Natriuretic Peptides as Part of Strategies for Heart Failure Prevention
Show more Mini-Reviews

Similar Articles

Subjects

  • SUBJECT AREAS
    • Nutrition

Options

  • Home
  • About
  • Articles
  • Information for Authors
  • Resources
  • Abstracts
  • Submit
  • Contact
  • RSS

Other Publications

  • The Journal of Applied Laboratory Medicine
Footer logo

© 2018 American Association for Clinical Chemistry

Powered by HighWire