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Review
. 2012 Mar 14;13(4):279-86.
doi: 10.1038/nrn3212.

Obesity and the brain: how convincing is the addiction model?

Hisham Ziauddeen  1 , I Sadaf Farooqi, Paul C Fletcher
Affiliations
Review

Obesity and the brain: how convincing is the addiction model?

Hisham Ziauddeen et al. Nat Rev Neurosci. .

Abstract

An increasingly influential perspective conceptualizes both obesity and overeating as a food addiction accompanied by corresponding brain changes. Because there are far-reaching implications for clinical practice and social policy if it becomes widely accepted, a critical evaluation of this model is important. We examine the current evidence for the link between addiction and obesity, identifying several fundamental shortcomings in the model, as well as weaknesses and inconsistencies in the empirical support for it from human neuroscientific research.

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References

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