Addictive Foods….Are there such things?

Scientists say sugary snacks give a high similar to that of hard drugs, making them addictive foods. Here’s why some people are more prone to junk cravings than others – and how to beat them

Don’t plunge deeper into self-loathing as you grab your fifth custard cream – your biscuit blowout might not actually be your fault. The treats that sabotage our weight loss attempts could be physically addictive. What’s more, food scientists working for fast food chains may deliberately create meals that are literally irresistible.

A study at the Scripps Research Institute in Florida, USA, found lab rats became addicted to a bad diet in the way that people become dependent on cocaine and heroin. And now studies are finding similar effects on humans in addictive foods.

‘Scientists have found that fatty, sugary foods make the brain release dopamine just like drugs,’ says diet expert and psychotherapist Marisa Peer, author of You Can Be Thin (Sphere, £12.99). ‘The dopamine gives you a slight high, but the dopamine receptors become less sensitive so you need more and more to get the same feeling. So, although your body doesn’t want junk like doughnuts, it starts to demand it.’

It seems some of us find it harder than others to resist these cravings. “In our diabetes study, we found people with a particular gene have lower dopamine receptors than normal, so that the brain doesn’t register the effects of dopamine as much as it should,” says clinical researcher Dr Neal Barnard, author of Breaking The Food Seduction (St Martin’s Griffin, £10.49). “So they need to eat more to feel pleasure and are more likely to become overweight and develop type 2 diabetes.”

Read a similar topic in our previous blog . Take a look at what Marisa Peer specialises in by visiting our website.