Eating chips, cookies, and soft drinks can make people act in ways that are similar to how drug addicts behave, says a new study. These junk foods, called ultra-processed foods, are made in factories using lots of sugar, salt, fat, and chemicals. They are designed to taste really good and make people want to eat more and more. Researchers say that these foods can cause addiction in the brain just like harmful drugs such as alcohol or cocaine.
Ashley Gearhardt, a psychology professor at the University of Michigan, said people do not get addicted to foods like apples or brown rice. Instead, they have trouble staying away from snacks that are made to strongly affect the brain. These foods hit the brain fast and hard, making people want to eat them again and again.
The study was published in Nature Medicine. It looked at almost 300 studies from 36 countries. The results showed that ultra-processed foods can take over the brain’s reward system. People start to feel cravings, lose control over how much they eat, and keep eating even when they know it is bad for their health. These are all signs of addiction.
Scans of the brain show that people who can’t stop eating these foods have changes in their brain similar to people addicted to drugs. Some medicines that reduce cravings for these foods can also help with drug addiction. This proves that both problems may affect the brain in the same way.
Even with all this proof, experts still haven’t added food addiction to the book that lists mental health problems. Other things like caffeine addiction are already in the book, even though they have less proof. Erica LaFata, another researcher, said it’s time to treat food addiction just like other addictions.
The researchers say health leaders, doctors, and government groups need to take action. They should study food addiction more, help doctors find and treat it, and make rules like those used for tobacco. This could include warning labels, ads that don’t target children, and teaching people about the risks. Gearhardt said not all food is addictive, but many factory-made snacks are. If we don’t face this fact, more people—especially kids—will keep getting hurt.