Is Food a Drug?

Human’s diets have been continuously changing since prehistoric times. From hunter-gatherers to farmers to the industrial scale food is produced at in the modern world, humans have transitioned from searching for food to creating it in abundance (Gardner, 2023). For many, this modern lifestyle has introduced new problems; overeating and food addiction. These drug-like properties of food are explored in this article.  

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Food vs. Drugs’ Effects on Neurotransmitters 

Drugs are known for and misused because of their addictiveness and perceived "euphoria" after consumption. One way to directly compare food and drugs is how they impact the brain and more specifically their role in the release of neurotransmitters (NTs). Two major NT’s that are produced and/or mimicked from drug use and generate the feeling of pleasure in users, are serotonin and dopamine. Both are “happy hormones” which play a role in mood, well-being, and motivation. (Drugs and the Brain, 2020). Food intake also releases these mood-affecting chemicals in the brain. According to Harvard Health Publishing, 95% of serotonin is produced in your gastrointestinal tract and is influenced by the “good” bacteria in the gut. A diet high in processed foods, sugar, and saturated fats reduces the “good” bacteria leading to imbalances in serotonin production and mood changes. (Selhub, 2022). Like serotonin, dopamine is produced in both the brain and gut when food intake occurs. This feeling of ‘reward’ is created by the brain to further encourage eating, reinforcing a survival behavior. (Gasmi et al., 2022) Although this reward response is less severe than drugs, food impacts the same areas of the brain as drugs do, demonstrating their similarities. 

Drug or Not? 

This question of whether food is a drug or not is a current debate in the scientific community. Those who believe food is a drug argue that food addiction occurs due to the same chemical processes as drug addiction. They both release dopamine and serotonin, which explains their pleasurable and habit-forming characteristics. Additionally, food can be harmful like drugs if one does not take it in the right quantity or has an unbalanced diet. (Robinson, 2022) On the other hand, those who argue food is not a drug, mention how food is necessary for survival, cravings are the product of deprivation, and the magnitude of the NT’s response is significantly lower for food intake when compared to drug usage. More specifically, that this ‘addiction’ to food is due to dieting and social pressures altering existing habits (Why Food is Not Addictive: Breaking Down the Myth, n.d.). 

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Key Takeaways

Food, in the literal definition of a drug - a substance which has a physiological effect when in the body - falls under this definition. Yet, reputable medical organizations like the FDA explicitly exclude it (Drugs@FDA Glossary of Terms, FDA). Because food is not as harmful as drugs, even though it activates the brain’s NT’s in the same way, it is not universally recognized as a drug. Over the past century though, as more processed foods enter and become the main source of calories, food will become increasingly dangerous. In the future, this definition will evolve as our eating habits continue to change. Food’s likeness to a drug depends on how you use it: Do you live to eat, or eat to live? 

References

1. Abuse, N. I. on D. (2020, July 6). Drugs, Brains, and Behavior: The Science of Addiction: Drugs and the Brain | NIDA. https://nida.nih.gov/publications/drugs-brains-behavior-science-addiction/drugs-brain

2. Gardner, G. (2023, June 1). Food: Abundant for How Long? food abundance. Center for the Advancement of the Steady State Economy.

3. Gasmi, A., Nasreen, A., Menzel, A., Benahmed, A. G., Pivina, L., Noor, S., Peana, M., Chirumbolo, S., & Bjorklund, G. (2022, December 26). Neurotransmitters Regulation and Food Intake: The Role of Dietary Sources in Neurotransmission. https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/28/1/210

4. https://steadystate.org/food-abundant-for-how-long/

5. MD, E. S. (2015, November 16). Nutritional psychiatry: Your brain on food. Harvard Health. https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/nutritional-psychiatry-your-brain-on-food-201511168626

6. Research, C. for D. E. and. (2023). Drugs@FDA Glossary of Terms. FDA. https://www.fda.gov/drugs/drug-approvals-and-databases/drugsfda-glossary-terms

7. Robinson, M. (2022, July 18). Eating ourselves to death: How food is a drug and what food abuse costs—Matthew Robinson, 2022. Sage Journals. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/20503245221112577

8. The Pure Food and Drug Act: From History to Modern Regulations. (2022, September 7). https://www.digicomply.com/blog/the-pure-food-and-drug-act

9. Why Food is Not Addictive: Breaking Down the Myth—Wilder Wellness. (n.d.). Wilder Wellness. Retrieved June 22, 2025, from https://www.wilderwellness.co/blog/why-food-is-not-addictive-breaking-down-the-myth

Thumbnail: (Pure Food and Drug, n.d.)