It has long been suspected that food has addictive qualities. Recent evidence suggests that certain foods have the ability to disrupt, even hijack the brain, much like an addictive drug. Dr. Lee Samuel and Maggie Geraci will discuss how the dopamine and opiate systems, pre-frontal cortex, sugar and more all play a role. We will also review dietary interventions in food addictions, the impact on binge eating disorders and differences in adults versus adolescents.

Learning Objectives
1. Define addiction, including food addiction and identify shared risk factors of substance and eating disorders.
2. Discuss current animal and human research on food addiction.
3. Explain the treatment ramifications of recognizing eating disorders as within the addiction spectrum. ​