Food craving is usuallydescribed as a strong motiva-tion or intense desire or urgeto eat a specific food. Often,craving is also referred to as

an urge to eat something even whenthere is no metabolic need. It is inter-esting to note that many of the foodsfrequently craved are high in carbohy-drate and fats and mostly foods whichare processed. Food cravings haveoften been associated with high bodymass index (BMI) and associated con-ditions which are predominant riskfactors for non-communicable dis-eases. Therefore, there is a surge inthe interest to explore the nutritionaland health impacts of food cravings.Are food cravings really a malfunc-tion or a menace? What’s the mysterybehind them?

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The true picture of food craving iscomplex and there are numerous theo-ries about it. The underlying causes ofcraving may be multiple — includingpsychological, conditioning, emotion-al, sensory and food imaging, to namea few. One of the most researched fac-tors as a possible trigger for food crav-ings is ‘mood’. Depressed and stressedindividuals or sleep deprived individ-uals can also suffer cravings and endup in binge eating.

The addiction literature focused con-siderable attention on the relation-ship between cravings and the expo-sure to a variety of external cues,such as the sight and thought of foods(like sweets, snacks, alcohol).Cravings have also been depicted asseasonal affective disorders, as somepeople experience increased cravingsfor sweet carbohydrate and fat-richfoods as winter approaches.

As is known our gut has a variedspecies of microbes. These microbesare constantly under selective pres-sure to increase their fitness andresearch suggests they could bemanipulating the host eating behav-iour. Microbes could constantly lookfor foods that they need to thrive on orcould demand the foods that suppresstheir competitors. These activities ofmicrobes could end up prompting thehost individuals to opt for certainfoods or even crave them. Forinstance, sugar/sweet craving canincrease with inflammation promot-ing gut bacteria, which are unhealthy.In contrast, National Institute ofNutrition studies have shown thathigh fat diets and high carbohydratediets alter gut microbiota which mayhave an effect on neuro transmittersthat could in turn affect cognition andmood. How this can help prevent crav-ing is yet to be established.

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Craving the same food could have dif-ferent mechanisms in different indi-viduals and at different times.Craving a particular food, say potatowafers, could be caused by the percep-tion that these are often depicted asforbidden foods (unhealthy/junkfoods). Attempts to restrain their eat-ing could trigger increased food crav-ings.

Studies also show that diet composi-tion and macronutrient intake regula-tion also play a role in craving sweet-tasting, palatable foods. It has alsobeen observed by some researchersthat preference for a particularmacronutrient is influenced by theprior macronutrient composition of

the diet. If a specific appetite for a par-ticular macronutrient does exist thenremoving that macronutrient fromthe diet should cause a selective sub-sequent increase in the consumptionof, and possibly in susceptible individ-uals’ “craving” foods that are rich inthat macronutrient.

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Scientists around the globe have triedout many behavioural methods tomeasure craving, the most commonapproach appears to be self-reportingof participants about their craving apre-determined list of foods. Studiesshow that the highly craved foods arecategorised into four types — high-fatfoods, sweets, starchy carbohydratefoods (like noodles, potato chips) andfast-foods.

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There are hardly any systematic sci-entific studies. The Indian economicand epidemiologic transition isreflected in the dietary habits ofIndians, where a shift from home-made nutritious foods to easily acces-sible and palatable processed food isvisible. Increasing dietary diversity isthe current priority for Indians, andcurrently high amounts of starch, fatand little amounts of fibre and proteinare consumed across all age and gen-der groups. The consumption ofmonotonous diets has also been asso-ciated with craving carbohydrate andfat rich foods.

In addition, marketing foods onlinewith attractive discounts makes indi-viduals to crave more. It is an interest-ing observation that cravings for car-bohydrate and fat rich foods does notoccur during regular mealtimes;instead, they primarily occur duringsnack time. It has also been seen thatnocturnal sleep is associated withincreased food cravings and therebymaking the BPO and shift employeesthe most affected and vulnerable seg-ments of the population.

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To date, a handful of studies havefocused on strategies to reduce foodcravings. Studies have generallyshown that craving-reduction strate-gies, such as thought suppression (try-ing not to think about the craved food)or cue-exposure response prevention(presenting an individual with thecraved food but not allowing them toeat it) are not very successful.

Thus there is a need to seeknew and different cravingreduction techniques.

Alternatively, expertsand nutritionists sug-gest a number of sim-ple measures thatcan help keep foodcravings at bay.Being physicallyactive, drinkingplenty of water,c o n s u m i n gmicronutrientand fibre-

rich fruits and vegetables as part ofdaily diet may help curb craving.Other tips include trying to consumehealthy, natural and minimallyprocessed foods when in stress,maintaining a balanced diet, main-taining mealtime and following asimilar healthy diet pattern dailyand small but frequent mealsand eating mindfully.

(The author isdirector, National

Institute ofNutrition,

Hyderabad)

Food cravings are linked toweight gain and attendant ail-ments. The best way to fight

cravings is to de-condition ourselves,which is to remove the stimulus thattriggers the response, says clinicalnutrition and metabolism expertJohn W. Apolzan in an email inter-view to DC. He is director atPennington Biomedical ResearchCentre, Louisiana State University

System, USA.

Why do we crave high-caloriefoods that add to weight gain?All foods can lead to weight gain ifconsumed to excess. However, moreenergy-dense foods do tend to leadto weight gain. Further, these itemsare filled with sugar and fat whichare the macronutrients typicallycraved. Overall, chocolate tends tobe the most craved food item.

You refer to ‘conditioningresponse’ to explain food craving.But it’s usual for pregnantwomen to crave a variety of foodsand the popular notion is it mayhave to do with deficiencies?Yes often with palatable food it is aconditioning response. However,there is likely a different mecha-nism (or mechanisms) at play forthose that are malnourished and/orhave deficiencies. The conditioningresponse would not hold true ifsomeone was protein deficient andattempting to over-consume energyto meet their protein needs/require-ments.

Have you observed any link tocraving in the ambivalence

between one desiring a foodand wanting to control its

intake? Or the cravingowes to a dilemma: to

eat or not to eat? I am not 100 per cent

sure of the ques-tion. Actually

energy restriction decreases crav-ings. I think it is important to notethat we found it is the frequency ofconsuming food items versus theamount that was associated withcravings (Obesity 2017).

Of course it is natural to want toeat a variety of foods includingthose that may be less healthy. Thekey is just to do so in moderation interms of amount and frequency.Thus like much of life, it is trulyabout finding a happy, healthy medi-um.

Would you say culture and psy-chology play crucial roles in trig-gering specific food cravings?I think culture and psychology playrather large roles in triggering spe-cific food cravings. You’re not goingto crave a food you’ve never tasted.Further conditioning likely occursdue to the regions culture and psy-chology.

What are best possible ways totackle craving, especially becausea whole lot of lifestyle diseasesare linked to reckless eatinghabits? Decreasing energy intake throughlifestyle interventions has beenshown to be successful in reducingcravings. Nearly all weight lossdiets lead to decreases in food crav-ing. So the first would be weightloss. Secondly with conditioningmodel of food cravings, one would‘decondition’ oneself. If someoneeats a bowl of ice cream nightly dur-ing a specific TV programme thenyou would try and get him/her to

stop the stimulus (i.e.watching the televisionprogramme). Go for awalk, go to the gym andso on.

DR HEMALATHA R.

PAGE

13DECCAN CHRONICLE

During weight loss treatment, reductions inthe frequency of consuming certain foodsresulted in decreased cravings for those

foods. — John W Apolzan and team D C

SUNDAY | 2 JUNE 2019 | THIRUVANANTHAPURAM

DisCourse

DUMP CRAVINGSFood cravings ruin health because they are triggered by external cues rather than

genuine demands of the body. Cultural and psychological factors also aid craving. Again,gut bacteria provoke craving to suit their interests rather than that of the body

Mystery, menace or a malfunction

‘You are not going to cravefood you never tasted’

One of the most researched factors as a possible trigger for foodcravings is mood . Depressed and stressed individuals or sleep deprived

individuals can also suffer cravings and end up in binge eating.

It is natural to want to eat a variety of foodsincluding those that may be less healthy. Thekey is just to do so in moderation in terms of

amount and frequency

JOHN W. APOLZAN

CUT YOURCRAVINGSince our environ-ment is full of cuesthat could tap into ourcravings, such asadvertising and pho-tos on social media,overcoming them isn’tso straightforward.Research has foundthat one of the mosteffective ways to curbcravings is to cut thecraved food from ourdiet, which runscounter to the argu-ment that we cravewhat we need.

THE CUES

Dogs drool at the hint of food. Not just that, pets exhibit signs of cravingbefore regular food time. If one alwayseats popcorn while watching favourite TVshow, it’s likely cravings for popcorn willincrease whenever one watches it. Theafternoon slump is another example ofthis response in practice. If you cravesomething sweet in the middle of theafternoon, there’s a chance this craving isstronger when you’re at work, says AnnaKonova, director of the Addiction andDecision Neuroscience Laboratory atRutgers University in New Jersey.

Food cravings are sometimescaused by the ambivalence ortension between desiring afood and wanting to controlfood intake. It’s assumed, astudy says, that women in par-ticular resolve this by not hav-ing the food in question –which increases their chance ofcraving it as they’re more likelyto notice cues. Also negativemoods can trigger more eatingand, for some, become an eat-ing binge.

CULTURAL CONDITIONING PSYCHOLOGICAL

There is evidence sug-gesting that the trillionsof bacteria in our gutscan manipulate us tocrave, and eat, whatthey need - which isn'talways what our bodyneeds. microbes arelooking out for their owninterests, says AthenaAktipis, assistant profes-sor at Arizona StateUniversity’s departmentof psychology. Andthey’re good at doingthis.But if you eat a diet withlots of complex carbohy-drates and fibre, you willcultivate a more diversemicrobiome, Aktipissays. This probablymeans that a healthydiet, which leads to ahealthy microbiome,means you crave healthyfood.

MICROBE

MANIPULATION