Is food addictive?

Here is an interesting article by Peter Marsh of the Social Issues Research Centre in response to a cover story in New Scientist. There is also a bit of a ding-dong between Marsh and Graham Lawton of New Scientist, although I'm not sure it clarifies much.

The story relates to the current case in the US where fast food companies are being sued for selling an addictive product that causes obesity. The suggestion is that fast food produces chemical reactions in the brain which the consumer becomes dependent on. They thus indulge in such food beyond their bodily needs.

What the case does illustrate is a society where individuals have ceased to take responsibility for their own lives, but where the authorities are too nervous to tell them where to stick their lawsuit. The result is that food gets blamed for making people fat rather than the person eating it.

The New Sensationalist