- Research found that 12 percent of children were addicted to highly processed foods
Labeling foods such as crisps, chocolate and ice cream as “addictive” could help curb obesity rates, a major study has found.
The researchers compared them to tobacco and alcohol and said the way some people consume foods high in refined carbohydrates and fat “meets the criteria for a diagnosis of substance use disorder.”
They estimate that one in seven adults and one in eight children are addicted to highly processed foods, which can lead to intense cravings, withdrawal symptoms and less control over how much you eat. This is despite being aware of the harmful effects such as obesity and poorer physical and mental health.
International researchers analyzed 281 studies from 36 countries and found that about 14 percent of adults and 12 percent of children were addicted to highly processed foods.
Researcher Alexandra DiFeliceantonio from the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute in Virginia said: “Most of the foods we think of as natural provide energy in the form of carbohydrates or fat – but not both.”
A major review has found that labeling processed foods such as crisps and chocolate as “addictive” could help curb obesity
An estimated one in seven adults and one in eight children are addicted to highly processed foods, which can lead to intense cravings, withdrawal symptoms and less control over how much you eat
“Many highly processed foods contain higher levels of both.” “This combination has a different effect on the brain.” The speed at which these foods move carbohydrates and fats into the gut could also impact their addictive potential.
The US study concluded: “Ultra-processed foods are highly rewarding, appealing, compulsively consumed and can be addictive.”
The BMJ Medical Journal went on to say that further research was needed, but that these items were “clearly consumed in addictive patterns and lead to adverse health consequences.”
More than half of the average British diet consists of highly processed foods as opposed to natural foods such as fruit, meat and fish
Highly processed foods, which include cereals, cakes and yoghurts, make up more than half of the average British diet, as opposed to natural foods such as fruit, meat and fish.
Dr. Chris van Tulleken, whose book Ultra-Processed People was published in the Mail, supports an alert system. Last month, he told a conference hosted by healthcare company Randox that marketing tools developed by the tobacco industry were now being used by food giants.
“We know that with highly processed foods, the calorie gain occurs very quickly,” he added. “And once the sugar is in your gut, there’s a huge rush and you become addicted to it.”