Is Fast Food Addictive?

People may become addicted to the sugar and fat in fast food, much like a person can become addicted to a drug, which may help explain the rising rates of obesity.

Researchers determined that some animals, and therefore some humans, could become dependent on sweet food. In their study, rats fed a diet containing 25 percent sugar became anxious when the sugar was removed--displaying symptoms similar to people going through drug withdrawals, such as chattering teeth and the shakes.

In the study, a link was found between opioids, or the brain’s 'pleasure chemicals,' and a craving for sweet, salty and fatty foods. It is thought that high-fat foods stimulate the opioids, as when researchers stimulated rats’ brains with a synthetic version of the natural opioid enkephalin, the rats ate up to six times their normal intake of fat.

Further, long lasting changes in rats' brain chemistry, similar to those caused by morphine or heroin use, were also noted.

According to researchers, this means that even simple exposure to pleasurable foods is enough to change gene expression, which suggests an addiction to the food.

However, other researchers have disputed the addiction theory, peak and drop in blood sugar caused by eating fast food creates a desire for more, but is not necessarily an addiction.

New Scientist February 1, 2003

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