A food or eating addiction is any
behavioral addiction
Behavioral addiction is a form of addiction that involves a compulsion to engage in a rewarding non- substance-related behavior – sometimes called a natural reward – despite any negative consequences to the person's physical, mental, social ...
that is primarily characterized by the compulsive consumption of
palatable (e.g., high fat and
high sugar) food items which markedly activate the
reward system in humans and other animals despite adverse consequences.
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