Labeling foods like chips, chocolate and ice cream as “addictive” could help curb obesity rates, a major study has found.
The researchers compared it to tobacco and alcohol and said the way some people consume foods rich 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 consequences such as obesity, poorer physical and mental health and a lower quality of life.
Scientists have previously told DailyMail.com that junk food should be put in the same category as drugs because it can be addictive and harmful.
The warning is similar to that on e-cigarette products (see image), which warn about the addictive nature of nicotine
In the new study, international researchers analyzed 281 studies from 36 different countries and found that an addiction to highly processed foods affects approximately 14 percent of adults and 12 percent of children.
While natural foods – such as fruits, vegetables, baked goods and fish – typically provide energy in the form of carbohydrates or fat, foods that are processed tend to contain both.
Using the example of a portion of salmon, an apple and a bar of chocolate, the carbohydrate-to-fat ratio of the salmon is approximately 0:1 and that of the apple is 1:0.
However, a candy bar has a carbohydrate-to-fat ratio of 1:1, which appears to increase a food’s addictive potential, they said.
Alexandra DiFeliceantonio of the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute, Virginia, said: “Most foods we think of as natural or minimally processed provide energy in the form of carbohydrates or fat – but not both.”
“Many highly processed foods contain higher levels of both.” “This combination has a different effect on the brain.”
Studies suggest that refined carbohydrates or fats produce similar levels of extracellular dopamine in the brain’s striatum as addictive drugs such as nicotine and alcohol.
The speed at which these foods transport carbohydrates and fats into the intestines could also play a role in their addictive potential.
And while food additives alone are not thought to be addictive, they may contribute to the overall addiction to highly processed foods and “strongly potentiate the effects of calories in the gut,” according to the researchers.
Based on these behavioral and biological parallels, foods that contain high levels of refined carbohydrates or added fats are strong candidates for an addictive substance, according to the study published in the BMJ.
They conclude: “Highly processed foods high in refined carbohydrates and added fats are highly rewarding, appealing, compulsively consumed, and can be addictive.”
“While further careful research is needed to determine the exact mechanism by which these foods trigger addictive responses, UPFs high in refined carbohydrates and fats are clearly consumed in addictive patterns and lead to adverse health consequences.”
Highly processed foods such as breakfast cereals, cakes and yoghurts make up more than half of the average British diet.
Experts believe that recognizing the addictive nature of foods high in carbohydrates and fats could improve health through changes in social, clinical and political policies.
Dr. Chris van Tulleken, whose book Ultra-Processed People was recently published in the Daily Mail, is calling for a warning system in the UK.
At the Randox Cost of Poor Nutrition conference last month, he said marketing tools developed by the tobacco industry were now being used by food giants.
He said: “We have so much evidence that highly processed foods are addictive, they are designed to be addictive.” We know that with highly processed foods the calorie gain is very rapid compared to real foods.
“And once the sugar is in your gut, there’s a huge rush and you become addicted to it.”