Actress Denise Welch claims she is a food addict. Is there really such a thing - and, if so, what does it mean for obesity treatment?
Can you resist food?
Last week, actress Denise Welch claimed that 'food addiction' led to her gaining two stone.
"Until I gave up drinking, I never really had a weight problem," said Denise, 57. "Then I became obsessed with sugar. I'd binge in secret behind my family's back."
Denise ultimately got on top of her habit and lost two stone by joining a weight-management plan with group counselling.
While her story may seem extreme, she is certainly not alone. With one in four British people now deemed medically obese, dysfunctional behaviour around food has evidently become a painful challenge for many people.
Current predictions are that by 2050, half of the British population will be obese. Our obesity is killing us with an obese person dying on average nine years prematurely .Yet long before the grim reaper arrives, obesity sucks the joy out of people's lives.
A recent survey revealed a quarter of British women eat in secret to cope with stress, anxiety and worry. What's more, these women go to great lengths to hide the evidence, stuffing wrappers up their sleeves and in car boots. Almost half claim they want to stop but feel out of control around food. Their actions bear all the hallmarks of addictive behaviour.
Earlier this year NHS England chief executive Simon Stevens effectively joined the debate, referring to obesity as 'the new smoking' thereby couching it in addictive terms.
What's more, numerous brain scans show that eating sugary, fatty foods lights up the same area in the brain as drugs and alcohol.
Stephens' stance in particular raises an interesting question. Up until now endless government campaigns on obesity have trotted out clichéd 'eat less, move more' advice.
Yet if we are to see chronic overeating as symptomatic of addictive behaviour, then perhaps it needs to be treated in a similar way to other addictions - in other words, with a therapeutic approach.
Debbie Stewart, 26, whose childhood years were blighted by chronic obesity, says she definitely needed psychological support to get on top of their weight issues.
As a teenager she'd creep out of the house while the family slept and head down to the beach to binge on bread, biscuits, cake.
Afterwards, riddled with shame, she'd promise herself she'd stop tomorrow. But she always caved in.
"Food was my escape. My everything,' admits Debbie, now 26, who weighed 23 stone and has recently lost over half her body weight. "Once I started I couldn't stop. I eventually sought help via a weight-loss group which specialises in counselling, losing eleven stone.
"I firmly believe that in order to better yourself, you need to tackle the emotional issues. Anyone can lose weight if they make the effort, but unless you tackle the root of the problem, sustaining a healthy, happy life will be hard."
Find Denise's story at: www.broccoliandbrains.co.uk
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