Question: Excessive food consumption may link to emotional issues such as feelings of inferiority or low self-esteem. In some situations people consume products (especially food) as a reaction to prior life experiences such as loss of a loved one or perhaps abuse as a child. A British man whom the U.K. news media once dubbed "the world's fattest man" when he weighed in at 980 pounds is a case in point. He explained that as an adult his insatiable desire to constantly eat stemmed from an abusive father and sexual abuse by a relative: "I still had all these things going around in my head from my childhood. Food replaced the love I didn't get from my parents." (The good news: after a gastric bypass operation this man has lost almost two-thirds of his body weight).
Obviously this is an extreme case, and it certainly doesn't mean that everyone who struggles with his or her weight is a victim of abuse! Nonetheless, emotion often plays a role-a dieter may feel elated when he weighs in at three pounds less than last week; however, if he fails to make progress he may become discouraged and actually sabotage himself with a Krispy Kreme binge. Is it ethical for food companies to exploit these issues by linking their products to enhanced moods?