Topic: Food Noise

A listener shared a personal account of how psychiatric medications, specifically SSRIs, cause "food noise"—a persistent anxiety-related hunger that leads to overeating. This side effect is described as a panicky need to kill the sensation of hunger, regardless of whether the food is sugary. This phenomenon suggests that the pharmaceutical industry is now marketing weight-loss drugs like Ozempic to the same population already taking antidepressants.

PBS featured Dr. Carla Lester discussing "food noise" and "food chatter," terms used to describe constant cravings. The discussion posits that these are marketing euphemisms for sugar addiction and that GLP-1 drugs work by disrupting neural pathways and slowing gastric emptying.

Author Rebecca Hertz discusses her book "Why You Eat What You Eat," explaining how non-food odors like crayons can deter cravings while vanilla increases appetite. She notes that loud music in restaurants or engine noise on airplanes dampens the perception of sweet and salty tastes. The segment also references a study suggesting a high correlation between childhood sexual abuse and adult obesity as a subconscious defense mechanism.