Скачать или смотреть Food Junkies Podcast: How can food addiction predispose us to cancer? with Dr Raphael Cuomo, 2025

Welcome to the Food Junkies Podcast. My name is Dr Vera Tarman and I am your cohost today, along with Molly Painshab. .Today we are speaking with Dr. Raphael E. Cuomo, author of Crave: The Hidden Biology of Addiction and Cancer. Dr Cuemo is an American biomedical scientist and Associate Professor at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine, where he leads research on the intersection of addiction, cancer prevention, and public health. He got his PhD in Global Health from UC San Diego, completed a Master in Public Health from San Diego State University, and is a Fellow of the Royal Society for Public Health. He has authored over one hundred peer-reviewed publications and is internationally recognized for his understanding of how behavioral factors like addiction reshape cancer risk and outcomes.

Dr Cuomo’s book "Crave: The Hidden Biology of Addiction and Cancer,” explores the biochemical connections between addiction and disease. His research goes beyond the traditional dopamine hijacking the brain narratives that we at Food Junkies appreciate; Using extensive clinical data, he shows how addiction actually alters our biology, shaping our molecular environment to create chronic disease such as cancer.

Dr. Cuomo introduces the concept of “molecular scars”—long-term physiological changes left behind by repeated addictive behaviors, even low-grade ones like screen use or ultra-processed food consumption. He explains how these behaviors disrupt key systems in the body, including the dopamine, opioid, GABA, glutamate, cortisol, and the endocannabinoid systems, ultimately weakening immune surveillance, fueling inflammation, and accelerating cellular damage.

From the anticipatory nature of craving to the role of trauma and adverse childhood experiences, this episode invites clinicians, patients, and everyday listeners to reconsider addiction not as a character flaw, but as a biologically driven imbalance with profound public health implications.

Topics Covered:
The hidden biological link between addiction and cancer
What Crave reveals about chronic stimulation and health breakdown
Why craving is more about anticipation than pleasure
The difference between wanting and liking in addiction
How repeated overstimulation rewires dopamine and reduces pleasure
Molecular scars: the biological damage addiction leaves behind
The role of inflammation, immune suppression, and cellular dysfunction
How addiction disrupts neurotransmitters beyond dopamine (opioid, GABA, glutamate)
The overlooked role of the endocannabinoid system in both addiction and cancer
The impact of early life stress and ACE scores on long-term health
How screen time, ultra-processed food, and digital overstimulation shape disease risk
The concept of allostatic load as a measurable biological burden of chronic stress
Metabolic memory and food insecurity's impact on eating behaviors
Why oncology needs to integrate addiction screening into prevention and treatment
How to begin restoring the body's natural rhythm to prevent disease