Here’s Why We Are All Addicted To Food

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If you’re someone who simply can’t stop at just one chocolate chip cookie, don’t beat yourself up. It turns out we’re all actually hard-wired that way.

A new study from the University of Turku in Finland used positron emission tomography (PET) to explore visually what happens in the brain when we consume food. The researchers injected the brains of participants with a radioactive compound that allowed them to see how their opioid receptors specifically were reacting via the PET imaging. They then observed their brain activity after they ate a super tasty pizza, consumed a not so tasty but nutritious drink and completed an overnight fast (as the control in the experiment).

While the pizza obviously made participants feel more pleasure than the liquid meal, both types of food majorly triggered the opioid system, releasing a flood of endorphins in the brain. Endorphins were mapped all throughout the brain after the pizza was consumed, and the nutrition drink actually led to the release of even more endorphins, which surprised the researchers.

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This data suggests that the opioid system reaction that occurs when we eat and the feelings we feel when we eat operate more independently of each other than previously thought. So even when we don’t think we’re super into whatever is on our plates in front of us, our brains still react otherwise, sending chemical signals that say, “This is good, keep it coming.”

Since the opioid system plays a clear role in regulating our eating and appetites, it also makes sense that when it isn’t functioning properly, we can end up eating way more than we should. Just think about it: if consistently eating more releases more endorphins in the brain, your body is going to tell you to keep that feel-good cycle going. And that sustained pattern can lead to obesity, one of the largest public health issues facing us today. So understanding this reaction could be a game-changer in how we address the world’s weight issues in the future.

In the meantime, know that your brain appreciates all the fuel you give it. And if you eat slowly and mindfully, and savor every bite, you’re likely to feel even better about mealtime, too.