If you've lost interest in normally pleasurable activities, find yourself crying for no apparent reason or struggle with appetite changes, sleep problems or lethargy, you're not alone. While most people experience occasional depressive symptoms, an estimated 14.8 million adults in the United States have major depression, which detracts significantly from your life. Carbohydrate cravings and addiction may co-exist with depression. If you or a loved one shows sign of either condition, seek guidance from a qualified professional.
Potential Causes
Carbohydrates help your brain produce the "feel good" brain chemical serotonin. While additional research is needed, according to the American Heart Association, numerous experts think carbohydrate craving and addiction stem from low serotonin levels -- a common factor in depression. Others think carbohydrate cravings and food addiction derive from habits and learned responses or that a combination of factors contribute. You may have low serotonin levels, for example, from following a low-carbohydrate diet, indulge in carbohydrates, experience improved moods, then develop an addiction to the behavior. Depression may also occur as a withdrawal symptom if, after you've developed an addiction to carbohydrates, you cut back; or it may coincide with hormonal changes, such as before menstruation or during menopause.
Effects
Carbohydrate addiction typically involves "comfort foods," particularly refined carbohydrates that digest quickly. Examples include sweets, such as candy, and carbohydrate-rich, fatty foods, such as pizza, ice cream or potato chips. A research review published in "Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews" in 2008 examined collected data regarding sugar cravings, binge behaviors and withdrawal symptoms of animals and found a strong link between brain chemical changes in response to sugar consumption. Researchers concluded that, in particular circumstances, animals can become dependent upon sugar and that the same may hold true for humans, increasing their risk for eating disorders and obesity. Carbohydrate addiction can also perpetuate feelings of sadness and shame and damage your self-esteem and body image. These effects depend on the intensity of your cravings, your inclination toward addictive behaviors, how you respond to your cravings and whether you seek effective treatment, such as psychotherapy.
Treatment
To prevent or reverse adverse consequences of food addiction, seeking treatment is important. If an illness such as depression, anxiety or an eating disorder underlies your addiction, meeting regularly with a psychologist or dietitian with expertise in disordered eating and addiction may help. The stages involved with overcoming food addiction, according to dietitian and author of "Breaking the Bond of Food Addiction" Susan McQuillan, include accepting you have a problem, preparing to take action by seeking professional guidance or trying to change your behavior on your own, and maintenance, during which you resist behaviors and situations that increase your likelihood for comforting yourself through carbohydrate-rich foods. Your doctor may also suggest a medication, such as an antidepressant or, if you're substantially overweight, a prescription appetite suppressant.
Lifestyle Tips
In addition to professional guidance when necessary, changing your lifestyle may help reduce your carbohydrate cravings and addictive behaviors. McQuillan suggests avoiding weight loss diets, which can trigger or worsen food cravings and addiction, and aiming for a balanced diet, based on healthy foods. Since many people with depression benefit from increased carbohydrate intake, and because carbohydrates are vital components of a healthy diet, incorporate reasonable portions of complex varieties into balanced meals and snacks routinely. Enjoy whole grain cereal, skim milk and fruit with your breakfast, for example, and brown rice with fish and salad for lunch or dinner. If certain foods, such as ice cream or cookies, tempt you, increasing your risk for binge behaviors, avoid purchasing them in bulk. McQuillan recommends keeping a "trigger journal," in which you track foods that pose problems.
References
- American Heart Association: Carbohydrate Addiction
- "Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews"; Evidence for Sugar Addiction: Behavioral and Neurochemical Effects of Intermittent, Excessive Sugar Intake; Nicole M. Avena et al.; 2008
- "Breaking the Bonds of Food Addiction"; Susan McQuillan; 2004
