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Contact: Kelly Bemis Vitousek, 956-6269	Air Date: May 12, 1998

Binge Eating is Not an Addiction Some people compare binge eating to an addiction. Adherents of the theory point to the high concentration of carbohydrates in the foods people are most likely to binge on. They also site biochemical changes in the binger's blood. University of Hawaii psychology Professor Kelly Vitousek disputes the notion of food addiction. Binge diets may be high in carbohydratesbut so is everyone else's, Vitousek points out. The increased insulin level observed in binge eaters is as likely to be a result of overeating as it is to be the cause. Be skeptical of reports that confuse binge eating with obesity. Either condition can exist without the other being present, Vitousek advises. If you have an eating disorder, forget eating regimens based on addiction models that forbid certain foods, she adds. Food cravings are not the same as physical addiction to alcohol. Cognitive behavior therapy is much more effective in dealing with eating disorders. This is the University Report, I'm Tracy Orillo Donovan.

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