Up to 10 million Brits ‘could be addicted to junk food’: experts warn dependence on ultra-processed food is as dangerous as being addicted to cocaine or alcohol

One in five Britons – or around ten million adults – may be addicted to junk food, top doctors say.

Experts claim that being addicted to ultra-processed junk is just as dangerous as being dependent on alcohol, tobacco or even drugs like cocaine.

Cheap UPFs such as biscuits, cakes and crisps are thought to have fueled Britain’s bulging obesity crisis.

Dr. Jen Unwin, a former food addict and licensed clinical and health psychologist, said: “We are sleepwalking into a public health disaster.

‘Although 20 percent of adults meet the criteria for food addiction, especially ultra-processed food addiction, this is not a recognized clinical diagnosis.

‘Yet it is worsening and putting unsustainable pressure on the NHS.’

Dr. Unwin is part of the Public Health Collaboration, which wants the World Health Organization (WHO) to classify junk food addiction as a substance use disorder.

Respected experts, including Dr. Chris van Tulleken, will meet next month at the International Food Addiction Consensus Conference to take the initiative.

If successful, it will mean that UPFs will be placed on a similar level to addictive and harmful substances such as cocaine, opioids, nicotine and alcohol.

This could lead to junk and UPF food addicts, for example, being sent to rehab or receiving expert counseling.

UPFs refer to items on grocery store shelves that contain ingredients that people would not normally add when preparing homemade food.

These additives can include chemicals, colorings, sweeteners and preservatives that extend shelf life.

It comes amid growing concerns about UPFs and the impact they have on health, with foods such as junk food and ready meals typically high in salt, fat and sugar.

Overall, two-thirds of all British adults are now overweight, compared to just half in the mid-1990s. Of these, a quarter are overweight.

Grades for children aren’t much better. The latest data on childhood obesity in England shows that one in ten children are overweight by the time they start primary school, rising to around one in four by the sixth year.

The obesity crisis is not only robbing the country of its health, it is estimated to be costing us almost £100 billion a year.

This figure includes both the health damage to the NHS and secondary economic impacts such as lost income due to people taking time off work due to illness and premature deaths.

Experts have called on ministers to tackle the crisis and demand action against both litter and UPFs with the same aggression that the government has devoted to smoking.

Ministers hope a wave of new drugs to tackle obesity, such as the Ozempic weight-loss jab, will help turn the tide and get more Britons back to work.

So-called food addiction is characterized by six signs, according to the Daily Express.

These are a desire and compulsion to consume the substance/action, increasing amounts to satisfy the desire, a lack of control over the amount consumed, withdrawal symptoms when attempting to cut back, continued use despite being informed are from the damage, and neglecting other aspects of your body. live to feed the habit.

The Daily Express reports that the five most problematic foods for food addicts are pizza, chocolate, chips, biscuits and ice cream.

The NHS does not classify junk food or UPF addiction as a specific condition.

However, binge eating disorder, in which people regularly eat a lot of food over a short period of time until they feel uncomfortably full, is referred to as an eating disorder. But it doesn’t mention what type of food patients are likely to eat.

Britain is the worst in Europe when it comes to eating UPFs, which make up an estimated 57 percent of the national diet, a study has found.

However, some experts have warned against blaming UPFs too much for all of Britain’s health problems.

They say part of the complexity of the problem is that people who eat large amounts of UPFs tend to be both unhealthier and poorer.

This makes it difficult to determine whether UPF consumption is directly harmful or an indicator or contributor to poor health.

Another problem that critics have pointed out is how vague the term UPF is, both in public debate and in research on the subject.

In itself, the term UPF does not distinguish between an unhealthy ready-made meal packed with fat, salt and sugar and a whole wheat bread that has certain health benefits.

It is common knowledge that being overweight can cause or worsen a plethora of health problems.

These include the risk of cancer, high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease, as well as type 2 diabetes and depression.

There are government plans to limit the amount of junk food advertising in England.

The measure, unveiled by ex-prime minister Boris Johnson, would have led to a complete ban on online junk food ads and a turning point for junk food ads on TV at 9pm from 2023.

But the policy was pushed back to 2025 by current Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

Mr Sunak said he wanted to give the industry more time to prepare for the change as the reason for the delay.