Last year, a University of Michigan study concluded that officially identifying some foods as addictive could help fund more research and prevention.
The publication said that food addiction can affect anyone and, like substance abuse, it could be related to the product of consumption. In this case, ultra-processed foods
The study said that recognizing that some of these foods have the elements to be considered addictive could help improve consumers’ health and reduce dangerous consumption.
One of the study’s principal authors, Ashley Gearhardt, who heads a food and addiction science and treatment lab, published a different paper in 2015 identifying addictive foods.
Among the list were the usual suspects. Ultra-processed foods simultaneously have high amounts of fat and sugars (or carbohydrates), something our brains love. Natural foods usually have one or the other.
The 2015 study surveyed more than 500 people and asked them which food they had trouble leaving. It then created a ranking based on how frequently subjects mentioned each food. It also compared the food’s glycemic index and fat content.
Chocolate took first place, supporting the authors’ claim that the combination of high fat and sugar content is to blame for the addictiveness of ultra-processed foods.
Ice Cream came at a close second. Like chocolate, it has a sugar-to-fat ratio of 1:1, meaning it has nearly the same amount of each component
French fries, which have high amounts of fat and starches (which later become sugar), were third.
Pizza is slightly different from the first three foods on the list; the fat content is lower than sugar. The relation is a 2:1.
Cookies landed a very close fifth place, and their fat-to-sugar ratio is similar to pizza’s, almost 2:1.
The top 15 places on the list were ultra-processed foods, like chips, cake, or buttered popcorn. Still, some high-fat, non-ultra-processed foods made it: bacon, cheese, and steak.
