Especially for friends in the Bay Area, the panelists who presented on food addiction at the Commonwealth Club of California a few years ago have been invited back for Food Addiction 2.0, on May 9.

Not only are all 6 members of the original panel returning, we're fortunate to be joined this time by Ashley Gearhardt of the University of Michigan, a co-creator of the Yale Food Addiction Scale. The returning members are Dr. Vera Tarman, Robert Lustig, Elissa Epel, Eric Stice, and Nicole Avena. Rock stars, every one of them!

Here's the program description:

This program is an update from our previous Food Addiction program; all panelists will offer updated information. Addiction is about brains, not just about behaviors. We all have the brain reward circuitry that makes food rewarding; it’s a survival mechanism. In a healthy brain, these rewards have feedback mechanisms for satiety or "enough." For some, the circuitry becomes dysfunctional such that the message becomes "more." Michael Prager, author of "Fat Boy Thin Man," will begin the discussion telling his very personal story of recognizing and then seeking treatment for his food addiction. Leading researchers and clinicians will discuss many aspects of this important topic.

If this is your part of the world, please put the event on your calendar. And if not, a recording will be made available afterward. Here's the recording from 2012.