Highly Processed Foods Considered Most Addictive
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iStock/Thinkstock(ANN ARBOR, Mich.) — Which foods trigger addictive responses in humans? You probably don’t have to be a nutritionist to figure that one out.
But just in case, University of Michigan scientists have done the research for you by concluding that highly processed foods with all that added fat and refined carbohydrates are the toughest to give up.
And naturally, these foods, which include chocolate, pizza and french fries, are more apt to make Americans overweight or obese than healthier alternatives.
Lead author Erica Schulte says, “If properties of some foods are associated with addictive eating for some people, this may impact nutrition guidelines, as well as public policy initiatives such as marketing these foods to children.”
Furthermore, the researchers say that the rewarding properties of highly processed food may change methods in obesity treatment, similar to ways people curtail their addictions to smoking, drinking and drugs.
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