Food craving

A food craving (also called moreishness or selective hunger) is an intense desire to consume a specific food, and is different from normal hunger.[1] It may or may not be related to specific hunger, the drive to consume particular nutrients that is well-studied in animals. In studies of food cravings, chocolate and chocolate confectioneries almost always top the list of foods people say they crave;[2] this craving is referred to as chocoholism.

Causes

There is no single explanation for food cravings, and explanations range from low serotonin levels affecting the brain centers for appetite to production of endorphins as a result of consuming fats and carbohydrates.[1] Foods with high levels of sugar glucose, such as chocolate, are more frequently craved than foods with lower sugar glucose, such as broccoli, because when glucose interacts with the opioid system in the brain an addictive [3] triggering effect occurs. The consumer of the glucose feels the urge to consume more glucose, much like an alcoholic, because the brain has become conditioned to release "happy hormones" every time glucose is present.[4] There is evidence that addiction and food craving activate some of the same brain areas. Specifically, when smokers look at pictures of people smoking it activates the same areas of the brain as when obese people look at pictures of food.[5]

The cravings for certain types of food are linked to their ingredients. Chocolate for example, contains the amino acid phenylethylamine, which is important for the regulation of the body’s release of endorphins.[6] Endorphins are released following a stressor and result in a sense of relaxation.[7] Exercise and sleep are two alternative ways to help facilitate the release of endorphins.[7]
Chocolate also contains large quantities of iron, which can be depleted during the menstrual cycle.[6] Another common craving is salt. Craving salt may be partly due to being dehydrated. When dehydrated the body loses water, electrolytes, and salt, and by ingesting salt, water retention can be increased.[6] Craving salt can also be a sign of diabetes, heart disease, and sickle cell anemia.
Carbohydrates, or particularly sugars, are yet another common craving. These cravings occur often in the middle of the afternoon when energy is at its lowest.[6]
The craving of non-food items as food is called pica.[8]

Pregnancy

Theories claim that many of the cravings women sometimes have for strange foods during pregnancy can be attributed to important nutrients that are required during that specific period. One of the treatments for morning sickness consists in accommodating food cravings and aversions.[9] Research is being conducted to determine the mechanism behind food cravings during pregnancy.[10]

Depending from the historical period and the culture there are different traditions regarding pregnancy cravings. Some examples are:

Treatment

Recent scientific findings suggest that in obese individuals, addiction treatments could be useful in learning to fight severe food cravings.[5] For treating small chocolate cravings, the smell of jasmine has been known to work. [14]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Ronzio, Robert A. (2003). "Craving". The Encyclopedia of Nutrition and Good Health (2nd ed.). Facts on File. p. 176. ISBN 0-8160-4966-1.
  2. ↑ Carr, Tanya; Descheemaker, Koen. "Food cravings and addictions - fact and fallacy, by Peter Rogers". Nutrition and Health - Current topics - 3 (Antwerp ed.). Garant. p. 69. ISBN 90-441-1493-X.
  3. ↑ Bazov, Igor (January 2013). "The endogenous opioid system in human alcoholics: molecular adaptations in brain areas involved in cognitive control of addiction" 18: 161–169.
  4. ↑ Yanovski, Susan. "Sugar and Fat: Cravings and Aversions". The Journal of Nutrition 133 (3): 8355–8375.
  5. 1 2 Brundige, Wendy; Noll, Eric. "The Science of Food Cravings". ABC News Network. ABC News Network. Retrieved 5 June 2013.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Musgrove, Rebekah. "The Science Behind Food Cravings". Lifescript. Lifescript. Retrieved 5 June 2013.
  7. 1 2 Rokade, Pramrod B. "Release of Endomorphine Hormone and Its Effects on Our Body and Moods: A Review" (PDF). International Conference on Chemical, Biological and Environmental Sciences. PRS Centre. Retrieved 5 June 2013.
  8. ↑ Young, Sera L. (22 October 2012). Craving earth: Understanding pica: The urge to eat clay, starch, ice, and chalk. New York, NY, US: Columbia University Press. ISBN 978-0-231-14609-8.
  9. ↑ Weigel, Margaret (May 2011). "Food Aversions and Cravings during Early Pregnancy: Association with Nausea and Vomiting." (3): 197–214.
  10. ↑ Cantoni, P., Hudson, R., Distel, H. and Laska, M. (1999) Changes in olfactory perception and dietary habits in the course of pregnancy: a questionnaire study. Chem. Senses, 24, 58.
  11. ↑ Fadiman, Anne. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux 1997:5
  12. ↑ "Liamputtong, P., Yimyam, S., Parisunyakul, S., Baosoung, C., & Sansiriphun, N. (2005). Traditional beliefs about pregnancy and child birth among women from Chiang Mai, Northern Thailand. Midwifery, 21(2), 139-153. Retrieved from EBSCOhost on 04/15/2011.
  13. ↑ "best monthly subscription box for expecting moms". orangeglad.com. Retrieved 2015-06-01.
  14. ↑ Kemps, Eva (June 2012). "Non-food odorants reduce chocolate cravings" 58: 1087–1090.

Further reading

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