If you're trying to lose weight and you tell yourself you can't eat pizza, you're setting yourself up for failure. But even those who believe a food craving is a chemical rather than a psychological urge say discipline and behavior modification can be just as effective as medication. The exception is a peculiar condition called pica, which can also be associated with pregnant women. People with this condition crave non-food items such as clay, dirt or ice. Some scientists believe this is the body's way of signaling an iron deficiency.
Addictions are very much the subject of ongoing research and grant funding.
Even pica gets its own research niche within university medical schools. But nutritionists say hard data on the simple food craving will probably remain elusive until a link between cravings and weight loss can be more firmly established. Medical research has bigger eggs to fry. Gosh, a Spanish omelet would sure hit the spot right now. The Los Angeles Daily News.