Addiction in Society

Yes in family, food can be a substitute for love and eating sugar and fat laden foods can bring pleasure and comfort where none is given. A fat child can be a symptoms that family life is not all that perfect, many children are put on diets and hunger suppressants when the whole family should have therapy. Underlying family conflicts remain unconscious, hidden and unsolved while the child’s unhealthy weight becomes the main focus of attention and anxiety. Also in families, where money is tight , feeding and overfeeding can be the only vehicle to show love and affection, when so many other things are unreachable.

"researchers do not even fully understand the factors that contributed to the rapid rise in childhood obesity in recent years." ITS A JOKE RIGHT?

Put the blame for the obesity epidemic on the availability of nutrients poor and calories rich food (from the morning cereals to the ready - evening meal), and the power of the food industry and it’s over use of sucrose and high fructose corn syrup in its products. High fructose messes up glucose metabolism in the liver and leads to metabolic syndrome and insulin resistance. Everybody is fighting fat ( the good and the Paula Deen) yet Starbucks grande skinny milk late has 18g of sugar, the tall is 14 g( the daily allowance is 40 g), have 2-3 lattes and that is your sugar allowance for the day, add a muffin and ....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RMAPXY85kAY&feature=relmfu

I can’t recommend Raj Patel’s book, Stuffed and starved enough, changes the way you look at a cereal box, usually full of sugar and crap, but so much more appealing than a plain bowl of porridge.

I guess it is just plain evolution in a psychiatrist's career.

A budding scientist cannot get enough of and is rather myopic to the pathology alone. While with experience, a veteran vexed with pathology of cure-less disorders, will broadly seek out the evolutionary perspective as well.

Interesting article.
2 points:
- you talk about living in communal settings and then ask "who would want to?" as if it's a given that none of us would? Are you sure? Why do we search for a "community" to join - a religious community, a gay community, a mother's group community, a new age community, a bird-watching community, a crafters community and on and on and on. Our work environment is a communal society of sorts and our work relationships become very important. Around me I see people engaged in communal living and people unhappy when they have no such group to commune with...
- obesity. No mention that obesity might be due to the increase in additives, preservatives, artificial colours and intolerances to foods new to our diets. Worth considering I would have thought.