Study Shows Just How Addicting Junk Food Actually Is

It’s no secret that processed foods have a detrimental effect on our health, but if you’re used to eating them, it might be hard to kick the habit. It turns out that cutting out junk food out of your life might be as hard as kicking a heroin addiction. 

The British Medical Journal published an analysis of nearly 300 studies from more than 30 countries that broke down just how addictive these ultra-processed foods (UPFs) are. The research found that the combination of refined carbohydrates and fats often found in UPFs seemingly “have a supra-additive effect on brain reward systems… which may increase the addictive potential of these foods.” 

The team concluded that these foods can be as addictive as cigarettes or heroin. By using the same guidelines to measure substance abuse, they concluded that 14 percent of adults and 12 percent of children were addicted to ultra-processed foods.

Related: Junk food hits your system like an illness

While food addiction isn’t classified as a mental illness in the medical community, research into the topic has grown over the past two decades. Study lead author Ashley Gearhardt explained how the new research fits into the quest to fill this knowledge gap. 

“There is converging and consistent support for the validity and clinical relevance of ultra-processed food addiction,” Gearhardt said in a news release. “By acknowledging that certain types of processed foods have the properties of addictive substances, we may be able to help improve global health.”

Because these foods are often low-cost and convenient to acquire, “It’s essential to understand the addiction to these ultra-processed foods globally, particularly in low- and middle-income countries,” Gearhardt pointed out. “It will take courageous action to change these and other economic and structural factors that drive people towards ultra-processed foods.”

Experts really aren’t kidding when they say sugar is addictive.