Researchers at the University of Michigan found that ultra-processed foods are more than just tempting, they can be addictive.
Saying no to junk food can be hard sometimes and new research explains the reason why. Researchers at the University of Michigan found that ultra-processed foods are more than just tempting, they can be addictive.
Chips, cookies, soft drinks and other heavily engineered foods can trigger addictive behaviors that meet the same clinical criteria used when diagnosing substance-use disorders. The scientists who conducted the study say it's important to recognize this because failing to do so can keep people feeling powerless to change their behaviors.
The U.S. government recently started focusing the spotlight on the role ultra-processed foods play in the high rates of childhood chronic disease. A lawsuit was filed last year in Philadelphia which accuses 11 food companies with deliberately designing and marketing addictive products to children.
"People aren't becoming addicted to apples or brown rice," said lead author Ashley Gearhardt, University of Michigan professor of psychology. "They're struggling with industrial products specifically engineered to hit the brain like a drug—rapidly, intensely and repeatedly."
The study looked at evidence from nearly 300 individual studies from 36 countries on the impact of ultra-processed foods. The article published in the journal Nature Medicine shows those foods can hijack the brain's reward system and trigger cravings. Those cravings can cause consumers to lose control and continue eating despite the harmful consequences, which are classic hallmarks of addiction.
Neuroimaging studies show those with compulsive intake of junk foods have brain circuit disruptions similar to those who struggle with alcohol and drug addiction. Additionally, medications that have been shown to reduce cravings for ultra-processed foods have also been shown to reduce compulsive drug use. That shows reliance on junk food and drugs share the same neurobiologicial mechanisms.
"We've created a food environment flooded with products that function more like nicotine than nutrition," the researchers wrote. "And children are the primary targets."
