Home Health DR MICHAEL MOSLEY: You could be a secret food addict without even realising it. Take this quiz to find out

DR MICHAEL MOSLEY: You could be a secret food addict without even realising it. Take this quiz to find out

by Alexander
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My addiction is chocolate, which I know is bad for my waistline and my risk of developing type 2 diabetes, and I still devour it if given the slightest chance, says Michael Mosley.

You don’t smoke, you don’t drink excessively, and you certainly don’t take drugs, but could you be an “addict” without knowing it? In fact, many of us may have addictions and not recognize the symptoms of certain foods, such as cell phones, exercise, work, or even danger.

The definition of “addiction” is having no control over doing, taking, or using something to the point that it may be harmful to you. And it’s surprisingly common, especially if you have an addictive personality, which I do.

My addiction is to chocolate, something I know is bad for my waistline and my risk of developing type 2 diabetes, and I still devour it if given the slightest opportunity.

These seemingly less harmful addictions are caused by biochemical changes in our brain similar to those of alcohol, gambling, and smoking, one of the most common and harmful addictions of all.

This used to be limited to smoking cigarettes, but there is increasing evidence that children are becoming addicted to the “healthier” version, i.e. vaporizers.

My addiction is chocolate, which I know is bad for my waistline and my risk of developing type 2 diabetes, and I still devour it if given the slightest chance, says Michael Mosley.

A study last year showed that daily consumption of high-fat, high-sugar snacks rewires the brain, so we seek out more of these foods.

A study last year showed that daily consumption of high-fat, high-sugar snacks rewires the brain, so we seek out more of these foods.

The number of children using vaporizers has tripled in recent years, some of them as young as 11 years old. That’s why I was happy to learn that the Government is finally going to put an end to this appalling habit by banning the sale of disposable vaporizers and punishing stores. who sell them to underage users.

The problem with vaporizers is not only that you are inhaling foreign chemicals, but that the nicotine you are inhaling is terribly addictive. Or at least it is for some people. A few years ago I made a documentary in which I tried heavy vaping (inhaling the nicotine equivalent of about 20 cigarettes a day) for a couple of weeks.

I had never smoked before, so I was a little worried that I would end up getting addicted.

But none of that. At no point while vaping did I end up craving another “hit”, and after a few weeks I was delighted to be allowed to quit, which I did without any problems.

And that raised, at least in my opinion, the question of why some people seem to become addicted almost immediately (whether to drugs, alcohol, cigarettes or gambling) while others can give up with relative ease.

Countless studies have shown that addiction is due to a combination of genes, family history, personality traits, and social background. But the underlying mechanism behind our addictions appears to be the large, pleasurable dose of dopamine we receive after engaging in a particular addictive activity.

Dopamine is a chemical messenger that is involved in movement, but also in our feeling of pleasure, among other things.

A recent study of more than a million people, in the journal Nature Mental Health, found that the genes that predispose us to become addicted are mainly related to the release of dopamine in the brain.

But for reasons we don’t fully understand, different things seem to trigger different addictions in different people. This can include exercise (I know people who will cancel everything before they cancel the gym); work (yes, some people get a dopamine rush from doing this!); or even danger (I knew a skydiver who took increasingly greater risks “because of the buzz,” until he died in a fatal accident).

I don’t drink much, I don’t crave nicotine, and despite using magic mushrooms (back when it was legal), I have never felt the desire to use illegal drugs.

However, I have several personality traits that are typically associated with someone prone to addictive behaviors.

I am obsessive (when I focus on something, I find it difficult to change direction); impulsive (I often do things without thinking about them); and I’m a reward seeker: I look for things that I know will give me a dopamine rush, even if I know they’re bad for my health, like chocolate.

Some people would say that food can’t be addictive, but I don’t think that’s true. In fact, there is a measure, known as the Yale Food Addiction Scale, developed at Yale University in 2009, which has shown that certain foods (high in fat and carbohydrates, such as chocolate, chips, and cookies ) can trigger addictive behaviors in some people. A study last year in the journal Cell showed that daily consumption of high-fat, high-sugar snacks rewires the brain so we seek out more of these foods.

The Yale Food Addiction Scale includes 25 questions, but try this shorter questionnaire to assess how addicted you are to a particular food. More than three yes answers and you may be in trouble.

1. When I start eating this food, I can’t stop and end up eating much more than I intended.

2. I continue eating this food even when I am no longer hungry.

3. I eat to the point of feeling physically ill.

4. I crave this food when I’m stressed.

5. If it’s not in the house, I’ll get in the car and drive to the nearest store that sells it.

6. I use this food to feel better.

7. I hide this food so that not even people close to me know how much I eat.

8. Eating it causes anxiety and feelings of self-loathing and guilt.

9. Although I no longer feel much pleasure when eating it, I still do it.

10. I tried to give up this food but failed.

Recognizing that you have a problem is the first step to doing something about it.

I know I can’t have chocolate (or cookies) at home because I will always look for them.

When I have cravings, I put up with them instead of going to the store.

If you have a serious addiction, see your GP or contact a specialist addiction organisation. You can also get help by calling the Samaritans.

A new cancer therapy can also combat old age

The news that King Charles has cancer came as an unpleasant shock. In fact, one in two of us will develop cancer at some point, but the good news is. . . most will recover.

There have been enormous advances in ways to diagnose and treat cancer, but immunotherapy (using our own immune system to attack and destroy cancer) is perhaps the most exciting.

One of the most promising types of immunotherapy is CAR T-cell therapy, in which T cells (a type of white blood cell that destroys invading microbes) are taken from a patient and engineered to target and kill cancer cells. . It is primarily used for advanced forms of blood cancer that would otherwise be untreatable, such as lymphoma. It is also being tested for lung, liver and prostate cancer.

But now there is even talk of using CAR T-cell therapy to prolong a healthy life. Here, modified T cells are used to combat one of the underlying causes of aging: “senescent” cells.

If you live in a house for a long time, you tend to accumulate a lot of trash.

The same thing happens with our body: as we age, it accumulates more and more old (or senescent) cells, which cause long-term damage by triggering chronic inflammation.

Now, researchers at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in the US have shown that CAR T cell therapy can be used to seek out and destroy these senescent cells, with impressive results.

In the study, mice who received a single dose of their own modified T cells when they were young stayed leaner and led healthier lives: the therapy improved their metabolism and led them to be more active, protecting them against type 2 diabetes. 2 and obesity.

So could engineered T cells be a potential source of youth, as well as potent cancer fighters? Fingers crossed.

How writing improves memory

Earlier this week I came across an old case in our attic filled with letters from friends and family from many years ago. They brought back happy memories, but also made me reflect on how I rarely write anything by hand anymore.

Could this affect my ability to remember things? In a recent study published in the journal Frontiers In Psychology, students were asked to write or type a series of words while their brain activity was measured.

When they wrote, there was a greater increase in electrical activity in the brain, the type of activity that other studies show leads to better memory and learning.

Researchers suggest this may be because handwriting requires fine motor control and forces you to pay attention to what you’re doing. Writing, once you get used to it, is largely automatic.

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