Study: Foods like ice cream, chips and candy are just as addictive as cigarettes or heroin
An analysis of 281 studies in 36 countries, published in the British Medical Journal this month, found that your inability to put down the ice cream, chips and candy may have less to do with your self-control and more to do with the addictive quality of ultra-processed foods or UPFs.
“The combination of refined carbohydrates and fats often found in UPFs seems to have a supra-additive effect on brain reward systems, above either macronutrient alone, which may increase the addictive potential of these foods,” the study said.
Using the same guidelines for measuring substance abuse, the researchers found that 14% of adults and 12% of children were addicted to ultra-processed foods.