Junk food addictive like drugs: Study

In an intriguing new study, researchers suggest that junk food comprising of hamburgers, chips, and other snacks rich in calories elicits an addictive behavior similar to heroin and other drugs.

Addiction to junk food is often taken lightly and dismissed as harmless. However, gorging on food rich in sugar and fat can be dangerous due to the affects it can have on overall health.

According to the author of the study Dr Paul Johnson, a neuroscientist of the Scripps Research Institute in Jupiter, Fla., the more one consumes fast food the stronger is the drive to consume more and more in order to feel cheerful. Junk food gradually becomes an alternate for happiness.

Experiment on rats
The researchers carried out an experiment on rats to demonstrate the hazardous effects of high fat and sugar foods in the brain that lead people to overeat.

They divided the rats into three. One group received a healthy nutritious diet, the second group was administered restricted amounts of junk food, and the third was fed foods high in calories and fat like cheese cake and bacon.

Interesting observations by researchers
After five days, the researchers found no significant changes in the first two groups but observed some interesting behavior in rats given unlimited supply of junk food.

They noted that the rats in the third group not only ate more and more but became overweight and compulsive eaters.

The researchers further analyzed if binging affected the pleasure centers of the rats' brains, the regions responsible for drug addiction.

By electronically stimulating the region of the brain that feels pleasure, researchers found that the rats on unlimited junk food needed more and more to feel happy.

They found that the rats needed more and more of the junk food, a trait similar to heroin addicts who need more of the drug to feel good.

Paul Kenny co-author of the study states, "They lose control. This is the hallmark of addiction. This is the most complete evidence to date that suggests obesity and drug addiction have common neuro-biological foundations."

Reversal of effects difficult
In addition, the researchers noted that the effects of junk food addiction is hard to reverse. When the rats were deprived of junk food and offered a nutritious diet, the fat rats refused to eat.

Kenny says, "They starve themselves for two weeks afterward. Their dietary preferences are dramatically shifted."

The results were presented on Oct. 20 at the Society for Neuroscience's annual meeting.