02/09/2010
Junk food as addictive as cocaine and heroin, claim scientists
by Laura Nineham
Scientists claim that junk food is as addictive as heroin and cocaine, reports The Daily Mail.
Recent studies show the fat, salt and sugar rush of fast food has the same affect on the brain as hard drugs.
The findings were published in New Scientist, and has even lead to the suggestion that junk food manufacturers could be sued for knowingly putting people's health at risk.
The study looked at the behaviour of rats when allowed to binge on bacon, sausage, icing and chocolate, and found that their brain behaviour was 'very, very striking' in its similarity to rats hooked on morphine. Both groups of rodents released the pleasure-seeking chemical dopamine in their brains after every hit.
Deterrents didn't stop the rats from getting their fix either; when they were given electric shocks the rats still went for the junk food.
The similarity isn't exclusive to rats either; when people are shown pictures of their favourite foods, the decision-making part of their brain experiences a surge of dopamine. The same thing happens when cocaine addicts are shown a bag of white powder.
It's led to calls for health warnings to be placed on food similar to those on cigarette packaging.
This could explain why people struggle to diet and stop eating junk food through will power alone. These findings suggest that a more effective way of adopting a healthier lifestyle would be to treat overeating as an addiction. Hypnotherapy is one way that addictions can be tackled; hypnotherapy deals with the conscious and unconscious mind to alter the way the brain perceives its relationship with food. It's a popular form of therapy that helps people quit their nicotine and drug addiction, and can be extended to a junk food addiction too.
Woman quits smoking after : Next → ← Previous : Woman loses two stone wit