Addicted to Fat: Overeating May Alter the Brain as Much as Hard Drugs: Scientific American

Addicted to Fat: Overeating May Alter the Brain as Much as Hard Drugs: Scientific American: "Like many pleasurable behaviors—including sex and drug use—eating can trigger the release of dopamine, a feel-good neurotransmitter in the brain. This internal chemical reward, in turn, increases the likelihood that the associated action will eventually become habitual through positive reinforcement conditioning. If activated by overeating, these neurochemical patterns can make the behavior tough to shake—a result seen in many human cases"