DIET ADDICTION COULD BE DRIVING U.S. OBESITY EPIDEMIC, RESEARCH SUGGESTS…

DIETING MAY BE ADDICTIVE, PACK ON POUNDS

By Sean Kenniff, MD

Healthapalooza.com

Americans spend roughly $47 million dollars each year on Twinkies, and another $32 billion on pizza. That’s a lot of dough. So it is hard to imagine the kind of food that outsells all those pizzas and Twinkies combined. According to food industry statistics, diet products do just that. Each year U.S. consumers spend more than $40 billion trying to shake off the pounds with diet shakes, pills, and programs.

But take a look around, and take a good look in the mirror. Diets don’t work well for anybody—they don’t even work for rich and famous celebrities. After losing 160 pounds in 2005, talk show queen Oprah Winfrey regained all of her weight by 2009. Actress Kirstie Alley famously lost 75 pounds by using the diet program Jenny Craig. She gained it all back within three years. Dodger ex-manager Tommy Lasorda slimmed down using Slim Fast, and so did NFL Hall of Fame coach Bill Parcells. Both men saw weight loss victory quickly turn to defeat.

“While virtually all diets result in weight loss in the short term, 95-98 percent of people who go on a diet will gain the weight back,” says Judith Matz, co-author of The Diet Survivor’s Handbook: 60 Lessons in Eating, Acceptance and Self Care. “According to the research, two-thirds will end up heavier than their pre-diet weight.”

Matz says repeated phases of food deprivation, commonly called dieting, slows metabolism and makes our bodies store fat more efficiently. Recent evidence also suggests repeated dieting can alter brain chemistry in a similar fashion to drug or alcohol addiction.

“Diets give a high,” Matz says, “There is a virtuous feeling; you are on top of the world.”

So can you be addicted to dieting? And can a “diet addiction” be making you fatter?

The idea that a “diet addiction” could be driving our obesity epidemic is not a new one. Scientists have long known behaviors of yo-yo dieters—like food compulsions, obsessions, guilt, and shame, closely resemble the behaviors of relapsing addicts. What drives people to use drugs or alcohol in the first place, drives many others to extreme diets or eating disorders—genetics, emotional strain, mental illness, peer pressure and insecurity all playing important roles. Like alcoholics and drug addicts, dieters will often do destructive things to their bodies just to be thinner. Many abuse water pills, amphetamines, and laxatives to stay thin, or continue to smoke cigarettes out of fear that quitting will lead to weight gain. Still others resort to the dangerous bingeing and purging of bulimia.

But perhaps the most compelling evidence of diet addiction comes from experiments conducted by Dr. Pietro Cottone and Dr. Valentina Sabino at the Boston University School of Medicine. They studied the neurobiological responses of 155 rats. One group of rats was fed the standard, bland-tasting rat chow. Another group of rats was fed in diet cycles of standard rat chow for five days, followed by two days of a tasty, high sugar, chocolate flavored chow. The standard chow quickly became unacceptable to rats in the diet-cycled group, and they exhibited anxiety behaviors until they were able to get a fix of the chocolate chow. But when Dr. Cottone and Dr. Sabino examined the stress pathways in the brains of the rats, they found the “addictive” stress response was not caused by the tasty food, but rather by the deprivation phase. They found a key stress neurotransmitter, called CRF, was creating a negative emotional state nearly identical to that seen in animals withdrawing then bingeing on drugs or alcohol.

And it’s believed this same abnormal stress response could be one reason why so many people fail miserably on their diets, yet try and try again.

“CRF activation during abstinence from palatable foods induces a negative emotional state which is responsible for signs of anxiety and contributes to relapse to ‘forbidden foods,” Dr. Sabino said in a press release.

So how do you know if you are a diet addict?

ARE YOU A DIET ADDICT?

1.    Have you repeatedly tried and failed to control your weight with diets?

2.    Has dieting interfered with your life, social activities or employment?

3.    Do you have constant thoughts about dieting?

4.    Do you jump from diet to diet?

5.    Do you feel shame when you fail on your diet?

6.    Have you ever dieted dangerously?

If you answered yes to two or more of these questions you could be a diet addict.

But what about those people who are persistent and successful at dieting, like 65 year-old computer professional, Rose Lynn? She failed at Atkins, South Beach, and Weight Watchers, but recently lost fifty pounds on Nutra-System.

“I don’t believe the diets failed,” Lynn says, “I believe I failed to be ready and committed.”

Football Coach Jim Napoli lost forty pounds on the same diet program, after failing miserably on Atkins. “I lost weight, but I was mean as I’ve ever been, from the minute I woke up, until the minute I went to bed,” he says.

Funnyman and morning DJ Jeff Martin, who lost nearly thirty pounds on Quick Weight Loss, takes a more absurdist view on dieting, saying, “Try the garlic, limburger cheese, scallions, and red onion diet. From a distance, you will LOOK thinner.”

Will their success lead to long term weight loss? Matz says, slim chance—a two to five percent chance to be specific. Matz claims the secret to lifelong thinness is to break the diet addiction for good. Don’t avoid your favorite foods, because deprivation triggers overeating. Instead eat them in moderation. And honor your hunger. Hunger is your body’s natural way of telling you to eat. But be wary of emotional eating. If hunger is not your problem, then eating is not your answer.

Sean Kenniff, MD is a neurologist, television health journalist and radio host in South Florida.

To contact Judith Matz, or for more information about The Diet Survivor’s Handbook: 60 Lessons in Eating, Acceptance and Self Care, visit www.dietsurvivors.com or you can read her blog at www.dietsurvivorsgroup@blogspot.com

Dr. Pietro Cottone and Dr. Sabino Valentina can be reached by contacting the Boston University School of Medicine.

Pill-Free Prescription for Depression

Dr. Sean’s Pill-Free Prescription for Depression

by Sean Kenniff, MD

    Contrary to popular belief depression comes in many forms. Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is characterized by depressed mood during the winter months. Dysthymia is marked by a generalized and fairly persistent moderate level of depression. Post-partum Depression (PPD), which occurs in roughly ten percent of new moms, is often characterized by severe emotional distress following childbirth. Reactive Depression is a depressive disorder that occurs in response to a particular event. There are several other forms of depression but the most notable of all the depressive disorders is Major Depression, also called Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). MDD It is a severe and often debilitating chronic mental illness.

    A report published by the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics in 2008 found that in any 2-week period roughly 1-in-20 people are depressed. Serious signs include feelings of overwhelming sadness, suicidal thoughts, bouts of crying for no reason, loss of interest in daily activities, feelings of hopelessness, difficulties with sleep, irritability, and loss of interest in pleasurable activities like sex.

    The cause of depression isn’t entirely understood. There are strong genetic factors that seem to predispose someone to depressive conditions. Negative life experiences can also increase the risk. There is some evidence that serotonin and norepinephrine may be playing a role, and medications that alleviate depression often seem to work by altering levels of these two brain neurotransmitters.

    Treatment with antidepressant medications is essential in many cases, but they can cause some troubling side effects. So here’s how to alleviate some of the signs and symptoms of depression without popping any pills. 

Dr. Sean’s Pill-Free Prescription for Depression

Sunlight

    Lack of sunlight in the winter months can lead to Seasonal Affective Disorder in some people. An ultraviolet sunlamp can help but natural sunlight seems to work best at alleviating the symptoms. So try to get more sunlight or head to a sunnier climate. Just why a lack of sunlight leads to depression is not clear. Some researchers suspect melatonin, a hormone produced by the pineal gland in response to dim light, may have a depressing effect on mood. Other experts have suggested vitamin-D deficiency is playing a role. Vitamin-D is made in our skin during sun exposure and some studies have found a vitamin-D deficiency can lower mood.

Fish

    Countries with the highest rate of fish consumption have the lowest rates of depression, and a diet high in fish, or fish oil supplements containing omega-3 fatty acids, can improve symptoms of depression and stabilize mood swings. A 2002 study that appeared in the Archives of General Psychiatry found taking fish oil supplements resulted in a fifty percent decrease in depressive symptoms. It appears that omega-3 fatty acids in fish help raise the level of serotonin in the brain. One study even suggested that a diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids might help improve depression in people who have not been helped by antidepressant medications.

Walnuts

    Have you ever noticed that walnuts look like the human brain? Well there may be good reason for that because walnuts also contain omega-3 fatty acids. Just ¼ cup of walnuts each day can provide you with an entire day’s worth of omega-3s. Walnuts are also a good source of magnesium and vitamin-B6 which are also important for mood stabilization and brain cell functioning.

B-Vitamins

    The brain uses B-vitamins to manufacture neurotransmitters like serotonin, norepinephrine, epinephrine and dopamine. These neurotransmitters play a critical role in mood elevation and mood stabilization. So fill your plate with healthy sources of B-complex vitamins like whole grains, eggs, bananas, and soy beans. 

Avoid Alcohol

    It’s important to mention that alcohol is well known to depress mood. But alcohol also interferes with the absorption of B-vitamins in the body which can worsen or lead to neurotransmitter imbalances. In fact it is very common for alcoholics to be severely depressed and many of them have significant deficiencies of B-complex vitamins. Alcohol abuse also increases the risk of suicide in people who have depressive symptoms.

Daily Exercise

    Just about every study ever conducted on exercise and mood has shown that regular physical activity improves mood and alleviates depressive symptoms. It’s thought that exercise increases levels of feel good chemicals, called endorphins, in the body. Plus exercise reduces stress, improves self-esteem, improves sleep, and increases energy levels. 

Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

    Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a specific form of talk therapy that psychologists often use to treat depression. During a CBT session the patient and therapist analyze negative behavioral patterns and dysfunctional emotions through positive insight exercises and systematic goal setting. CBT concentrates on present problems and symptom removal. Several studies have found combining CBT with antidepressant medications improves results and lessens depression relapses. Some studies have suggested CBT alone may be as effective as taking antidepressant medications.

Mindful Meditation

    There is some evidence that mindful meditation may help alleviate some of the symptoms of depression. Unlike traditional forms of meditation where thoughts are cleared, mindful meditation focuses the mind on the present. When done properly the technique allows the person to explore thoughts and actions without judgment. Some practitioners have combined mindful meditation with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) into a new technique called mindfulness-based cognitive therapy or MBCT. Studies have shown MBCT may also improve depression in some people. 

    It is important to reiterate that for many people with moderate or severe depression medications will be an important, if not critical element of their therapy. So make sure you discuss all of your options with a skilled mental health professional.

Positively Poppy? Can Poppy Seeds Sway a Drug Test…

   People who are required to undergo random on-the-job drug testing often avoid poppy seeds because they fear they could lead to a positive drug test result. Though most poppy seeds sold commercially in the United States pose no risk during a routine drug test, some poppy seeds can contain trace amounts of opiates. If ingested your urine could test positive for drugs like morphine, codeine and heroin.

   Several studies have shown opiate levels in the urine rise within two hours of poppy seed ingestion, and can remain elevated for a day or two afterwards. If eaten with geat regularity the presence of opiates can be a bit higher and a bit more persistent. But since the levels found in poppy seed ingestion are generally lower than those found in drug use, many governmental groups and private corporations have simply increased the opiate level that is needed to be declared positive. This has eliminated a lot of the false positives due to poppy seeds.  

   Additionally the compound thebaine is found in the urine of people who have consumed poppy seeds but is not found in those who have been using opiate drugs. And more sophisticated drug testing techniques can now detect specific opiate drug byproducts.-Sean Kenniff, MD