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"  If you&amp;#039;ve ever joked that you &amp;quot;just can&amp;#039;t get enough of this fried chicken,&amp;quot; but secretly meant that you literally could not get enough - you&amp;#039;re not alone. A new study postulates that food addiction is just as real as any other addiction. The study, conducted by Yale University researchers, asked 39 women of all different body types to complete the 26-question Yale Food Addiction Scale, a test designed to identify compulsive eaters. The subjects&amp;#039; brains were then scanned with a high-tech magnetic resonance imaging scan while the researchers showed them images of a milkshake. The fifteen women who scored high on the test, and were therefore more likely to display symptoms of food addiction, had greater neurological responses to the image than the others. The reaction shown was akin to what happens in the brain of an alcoholic when shown an alcoholic beverage. More from Delish: Eat Healthy, Save Money The study, published online this week in the Archives of General Psychiatry, is the first of its kind to suggest that food addicts could benefit from a checklist much like those that are already in existence to assess alcoholism and drug addiction. The study suggests that food addiction correlates with the same parts of the brain that are known to respond to drugs. It should be noted that this study is not postulating that specific elements of food (like carbohydrates or fats) are specifically the addictive substances. Rather it is suggesting that food in general and the act of eating it is the addiction. More from Delish: Chocoholic&amp;#039;s Delight The Wall Street Journal reports that skeptics of the study note that while the brain&amp;#039;s reward centers may light up when predisposed subjects are presented with alcohol or drugs, the fact that they light up when the subject is presented with food may not mean anything. That part of the brain is designed to respond to food positively as we need food for survival. Skeptics also note that food addiction, while it can negatively affect the individual (though not always), it does not often result in the consequences that characterize drug addiction like poor job performance, deterioration of relationships, stealing, etc. Of course food, unlike most drugs, is legal and does not drastically affect personalities. There will be a vote later this month on a policy that will cause food addiction to be considered as a real addiction. What do you think? Is food addiction as genuine as other addictions? "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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