Beware this type of food is as addictive as cigarettes

Many people know that most ultra-processed foods are not healthy, but the goal of cutting back can be so difficult that the majority of these attempts fail. But the question: why?

The Food, Addiction Science and Treatment Laboratory at the University of Michigan, USA, has investigated one largely overlooked factor: the addictive potential of processed superfoods.

Addicted to ultra-processed foods

“During my training at Yale, it became clear to me that many people show classic signs of addiction in their relationship to ultra-processed foods, things like: loss of control over consumption, inability to To reduce food in the face of negative consequences.”

"So my colleagues and I created the Yale Food Addiction Scale, a procedure that applies the American Psychiatric Association criteria used to diagnose other addiction disorders to identify people who may be addicted to ultra-processed foods."

Based on our current estimates, 15% of Americans meet the threshold for food addiction, which is associated with diet-related diseases, obesity, and poor quality of life.

Ultra-processed foods that contain high levels of refined fats and carbohydrates are the foods that people addictively eat (Getty Images)

"It's clear from our research that people don't have addictions to all foods," Ashley says. Ultra-processed foods that contain high levels of fat and refined carbohydrates such as sugar and white flour are the foods that people eat addictively.

For example, chocolate, ice cream, french fries, pizza and biscuits are some of the foods that people find most addictive. You won't find people losing control when eating broccoli, beans, and cucumbers.

But can these super-processed foods really be considered addictive? Or are people overdoing something they love? To answer these questions, Ashley turns to one of the last great debates in addiction science, whether tobacco is addictive.

The situation in which you can be a tobacco addict

The idea that tobacco is addictive has been hotly contested for decades.

Unlike drugs such as alcohol and opioids, tobacco products are not intoxicating and allow people to go about their daily lives while using them. Tobacco products also do not cause life-threatening withdrawal symptoms, unlike alcohol and opioids.

The world's largest tobacco industry has often highlighted the difference between tobacco and an addictive "classic" drug. Increasing the suspicion that tobacco is really addictive can help them avoid blame for their industrial practices and blame consumers for choosing to continue smoking.

However, in 1988, the United States Surgeon General officially designated tobacco products as addictive. This report is in direct contrast to the position of major companies selling smoking aids, that tobacco consumption is a matter of consumer choice driven by the taste and sensory effect of their products.

The Surgeon General based the classification of tobacco products as addictive on their ability to elicit strong and irresistible urges, despite the desire to quit.

Another clue was the ability of tobacco products to quickly deliver high doses of nicotine, which made them reinforced in a way that users wanted to repeat the behavior.

A recent criterion of addiction achieved by tobacco was its ability to alter moods, such as increasing pleasure and decreasing negative emotions, because nicotine affects the brain.

Ultra-processed food and profit service

Ultra-processed foods meet the same criteria that were used to designate tobacco as addictive.

Tobacco and ultra-processed foods alter mood in a similar way by increasing feelings of joy and decreasing negative emotions. The high levels of refined carbohydrates and fats in ultra-processed foods powerfully activate the brain's reward systems.

Ultra-processed foods are very motivating, and they can shape your behavior to keep you coming back for more.

For example, teachers and parents use ultra-processed foods to reward children for good behavior and to increase the likelihood that children will continue to behave. And in mice, researchers have repeatedly found that the sweet taste is stronger than addictive drugs, such as cocaine.

Painfully high rates of diet failure demonstrate that ultra-processed foods can lead to powerful urges that are irresistible, despite the desire to quit. In contrast, nutritious and minimally processed foods such as fruits, vegetables and legumes do not meet these addiction criteria.

The addictive nature of these ultra-processed foods undermines consumers' free will and health in the service of profits. However, there is an important difference between tobacco and ultra-processed foods, we all have to eat, and no one can quit.

Just as in the case of tobacco products, it will likely require industry regulation to eliminate the popularity of ultra-processed foods and the health problems that come with them.