There are many obvious connections between childhood obesity and the proliferation of fast food restaurants. A large number of fast food meals have one thing in common: cheese. There has been a lot of talk about the possible addictive qualities of that substance. This is not news. Back in 1988, Dr. Douglas Hunt published No More Cravings, in which he described a patient nicknamed Irene the Sandwich Queen.
Irene’s problem food was the common cheese sandwich. She had what Hunt characterized as an extreme food addiction, concealing cheese sandwiches around the house, in her underwear drawer and any other hiding place where they would fit. Hunt discovered that Irene was allergic to yeast, which in turn made her crave bread, so the cheese was apparently not the main factor here. But, over the years, many people have been convinced of their own addiction to cheese.
Apparently, this belief could be based on the misinterpretation of, or over-reliance on, a few studies that need a second look. In an article titled “The Claim and the Call: Addicted to Dairy?,” Leigh Peele puts on her investigator hat and looks into the cheese addiction.
Peele is the author of Fat Loss Troubleshoot, a book that many turn to when their weight-loss programs stop working. A trainer certified by the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM), Peele has learned from many different experts in the health and fitness industry, and, in turn, she had been able to help many others, including models, athletes, bodybuilders, TV personalities, and “regular” people. Peele says,
My ultimate purpose is to help educate people on the most efficient methods of making yourself become the person you want to be… I get paid to help make people’s dreams come true and change lives.
Peele set out to research whether dairy products have addictive properties, and, if so, how bad is that in itself, and compared to other foodstuffs? The specific component that everybody is worried about is called BCM7, a casomorphin that has been accused of affecting the body and brain like an opiod. What is casomorphin? A peptide or protein fragment that comes from casein. And casein is, of course, found in dairy products.
Peele gives her sources and concludes that the main reason why BCM7 can’t be addictive is that it doesn’t survive its journey through the human digestive system long enough to retain any potentially addictive properties. In order to have any effect at all, it would have to be administered by injection. Peele writes,
Not only has dairy not proven to be addictive, this whole claim is literally cooked up without a shred of validity at this point. While searching online it was amazing what people had come up with using no research at all to back their claims. I feel bad for how scared people are because of the misunderstanding of this topic.
That is Peele’s final verdict, and we invite your comments on it. For ammunition, here’s a resource: Dan Mahony has collected an exhaustive compendium of leads for further research on casein. Either way, does this mean that we should blithely succumb to the lure of mozzarella sticks, fried mac ‘n cheese, or hot dogs filled with cheese and wrapped with bacon, fried, then coated with batter and fried again? No, it most decidedly does not.
Dr. Pretlow Gets Around:
We’ll be bringing more news on the following, but, first, to let you know: Dr. Pretlow is currently out of the country spreading the word on childhood obesity. First stop is Dublin, to meet with his co-investigators in a study. Next stop is London, where he will speak on October 7 at the National Obesity Forum held at the Royal College of Physicians. This is the 10th anniversary conference, attended by government representatives, policy makers, healthcare promotion specialists, health information services, representatives from the from the food, pharmaceutical and leisure industries, and, of course, the media.
Dr. Pretlow will talk about the information he has collected from over 130,000 bulletin board postings from overweight and obese young people, and how very closely their experiences match up to the addiction criteria described in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV). Dr. Pretlow hopes that more health professionals will come to regard the childhood obesity epidemic through the “lens” of psychological food dependence, or addiction. He believes that medical science “needs to get beyond its denial that food addiction is causing the obesity epidemic, and focus on how we are going to deal with this.”
Your responses and feedback are welcome!
Source: “The Claim and the Call: Addicted to Dairy?,” LeighPeele.com, 07/06/10
Source: “Casein the Cause of Fast Food Addiction?,” DanMahony.com
Image by joanna8555, used under its Creative Commons license.
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Do You Like A Certain Food A Little Too Much?
Major Cable Docu-Series Looking for People with Certain Food Addictions and Unusual Eating Issues
This is an engaging and ultimately transformational Docu-Series looking to help Americans in need of a diet intervention. Each week, the series will follow a different person with an extremely restricted diet, food issue, or food addiction. A team of qualified experts will use a number of techniques to help the person overcome their nutritional and psychological problems and develop a healthier diet.
– Do you have a limited diet of a few specific food items that you will not stray from?
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If you or someone you know needs help with their food issue, then we want to hear from you. If you are an adult with extreme eating habits and would like to know more about our show please email us at pickyeaterscasting @ gmail.com with the following:
-First and Last Name
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-A brief paragraph about what makes your eating habits
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If you know someone with an extreme eating habit and you would like them to get help, you may also nominate them.