Obesity Strongly Linked to Alcoholism: Could it Be True?

Heath studies abound these days. No one's safe from the various health, diet and nutritional warnings. There so much information that's relevant to good health that it's almost overwhelming to consider. As a result, we can find ourselves tuning out. But, a recent study conducted by researchers from the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis on the link between obesity and alcoholism promises to be a game changer and should, as a result, get the public's attention.

Family History of Alcoholism May Mean Other Addictions as Well

Indeed, researchers suggest that people with a family history of alcoholism overeat to satisfy their own addictions. Why is this important? Experts explain that some people are predisposed to alcoholism and, as a result, resort to eating increasing amounts of fast food and junk food. Interestingly, women are reported to be an increased risk for this unhealthy phenomenon.

Because fast food and junk food has proliferated in the environment, researchers suggest that the rising tide of obesity has been fueled by these changes and not so much a genetic predisposition as believed before. Experts report that the food that we consume today is much higher in calories and, importantly, empty calories, a factor in increasing levels of obesity today. People with a family history of alcoholism need to better understand their own health risks, especially for obesity.

Rewarding the Body and Brain with Unhealthy Kinds of Food

Consuming alcohol and eating junk food and fast food stimulate the same part of the brain. But, junk food and fast food contain unhealthy amounts of salt, sugar and fat. If you eat too much of these kinds of foods, you're bound to gain weight. But, because these unhealthy food choices appeal to the so-called reward centers of the brain, some people are prone to overeat. New health research studies suggest that people with a predisposition to addiction are bound to overeat and, as a result, at risk for obesity.

Alcoholism and obesity, according to experts, may be cross-heritable, much like alcoholism and drug addiction are. Much of this may be attributed to changes in the environment, such as increased consumption of junk foods which is much more readily available than ever before. This study is part of a body of growing evidence for a link between alcohol abuse in families and obesity, particularly for women.

Could Explain the Rising Tide of Obesity in the United States

The alcoholism-overeating link might help explain the rising tide of obesity in the United States, which has doubled from 15 percent of the population (in the late 1970s) to more than a third of the population (in 2004.) Public awareness of this link combined with promoting healthy food choices in schools and communities will go a long way in combatting obesity in the United States.

RESOURCES

Grucza RA, Krueger RF, Racette SB, Norberg KE, Hipp PR, Bierut LJ. The emerging link between alcoholism risk and obesity in the United States, Archives of General Psychiatry, vol. 67(12), pp. 1301-1308. Dec. 2010 in Medical News Today.

Alcoholism
Google Health

Alcoholism
Medline Plus, US National Library of Medicine

Drugs Brains and Behavior: The Science of Addiction
National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health

Obesity and Overweight
Centers for Disease Control