Addiction and Allergy

I just wanted to ask everyone on the forum about their opinions on the relationship between addiction and sensitivity. I had observed from my own experience that there is some kind of relationship between the two. Take wheat for example. Although I am sensitive to wheat, I tend to have major cravings for wheat products, i.e. breads and pastas.

Now, can this all be chalked up to the effects of neurotransmitters. Perhaps the brain just recognizes the wheat as a source of sugar. Maybe the huge bump in serotonin that comes from eating the sugar regularly down regulates the serotonin receptors in the brain, hence the reason you'd need to continue to consume more and more in the typical drug-like fashion, despite having a gut sensitivity.

Or could there be a pathogen component? If numbers of certain bacteria or fungi or other parasites became large enough, could this effect your conscious food choices, favoring foods that these organisms prefer? Or perhaps its a combination of the above reasons.

Would love to hear thoughts or theories.

Good questions. Hopefully jdp can chime in--I've read some of his posts in which he touches on similar issues. Specifically with the pathogens.

Wheat (Gliadin) and Candida are identical in structure, so if there is an overgrowth, the body will attack if there is an abundance of gliadin.

Gut microflora affects neurotransmitters.