Addiction affects people from different backgrounds and ages—it doesn’t discriminate. Despite the harm it causes to health, relationships, and work, it can be a grueling struggle to change.
Rose, 39, has struggled with yo-yo dieting for decades. She is an attractive, extremely driven woman who is married with two kids and runs a thriving media business. Despite her outward achievements, Rose had deep, unhealed wounds from a traumatic childhood that eroded her confidence in her appearance. She focused obsessively on “fixing” her looks, and it was exhausting her—that is, until she tried a new personalized health approach.
As a child, Rose binged daily on highly processed foods to soothe her emotional pain. In her late teens, she used marijuana and drank alcohol every weekend to “relax and unwind.” As an adult, her vices progressed into using cocaine with friends at parties. She couldn’t stop the spiral of her harmful, impulsive choices, which further affected her body shape, moods, and sleep. For years, she tried to ignore the problem and avoided getting professional help until things reached rock bottom in her marriage.
Unfortunately, Rose’s story is far too common.
According to the most recent National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), 48.7 million people across America struggle with substance abuse. Addictions can take on different forms with a wide range of severity. Substances that can lead to dependence may include not only drugs and alcohol but also socially acceptable forms, such as sugars found in ultra-processed foods.
Temptation is everywhere in our modern world, though it takes much more than our environmental exposure to put someone at risk.
Research indicates that a combination of factors contributes to the development of addictive tendencies. Genetic vulnerability, current health status, and family background play crucial roles when people are exposed to highly addictive substances.
Addiction: A Brain Illness
Addictions are chronic and progressive, meaning they won’t go away on their own, and the impact usually worsens over time, which can be fatal if left untreated.
Addiction is a brain illness that affects neurotransmitter levels, influencing mood and behavior. Research shows it is a complex condition with genetic factors estimated to have a 40 percent to 60 percent influence.
Often overlooked is that genetic predispositions can make us more susceptible to addictive substances, allowing them to control our minds and bodies more easily.
In an addicted brain, there are changes in activity, biochemistry, and several brain circuits that affect pathways involving reward, stress response, and self-control. Food addiction specialist Joan Ifland, who has a doctorate in addictive nutrition, states in her research that “Addiction pulls blood flow away from the neurons in the frontal lobe of the brain, and that is where you make decisions and do problem-solving!”
During her online search for a solution, Rose discovered that traits of an “addictive personality” are linked to genetics and dopamine, a neurotransmitter. She decided to take a DNA test to gain insights into her unique genes, a scientific field called lifestyle genomics, hoping it would help her break free from the harmful cycle she was in.
Her DNA test results confirmed she had multiple gene variants influencing her addiction risk, specifically, the extensively researched DRD2 and MAO-A genes.
Priority Genes Linked to Addiction
While there is no single gene that drives addiction, there are specific gene pathways that affect key neurotransmitters in our brains more significantly.
DRD2: The Dopamine Receptor Gene
A variation in the DRD2 gene results in a reduced number of dopamine receptors in the brain, which affects the sensitivity of the brain’s reward pathway and is
strongly associated with addictive tendencies.
In a healthy brain, the right amount of dopamine keeps us motivated, focused, and driven to reach our goals. It boosts our drive to pursue happiness through actions promoting reproduction and survival (think sex and food).
As the Swiss physician Paracelsus said 500 years ago, “The right dose differentiates a poison from a remedy.” A substance’s harmful effects depend on how much is taken and its effect on dopamine levels flooding the brain within a specific time.
Some substances and activities have a much more significant mind-altering effect.
This list shows the percentage increase in dopamine levels above the baseline caused by different substances, indicating their varying effects on the brain’s reward system.
Dopamine increases in human or animal studies have been shown as follows:
Excessive dopamine surges destabilize brain signaling, leading to impulsive moods and feelings such as anxiety, depression and irritability, and poor decision-making when levels later drop.
MAO-A: Mood and Stress Resilience
A slow-functioning MAO-A gene leads to lower levels of the enzyme monoamine oxidase A, which can cause an accumulation of neurotransmitters like serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine. Variations affect mood, which,
combined with other influences, such as lack of social support, can hamper addiction outcomes.
