2023-10-10 08:43:54
A global study found that 14% of adults are addicted to ultra-processed foods. The report’s authors also estimate that about 12% of children are addicted to junk food and call for further research into the problem.
One in seven adults and one in eight children are at risk of becoming addicted to ultra-processed foods, experts say, prompting calls for some foods to be labeled as addictive.
Recent studies have shown that consuming foods such as ice cream, soda and processed foods is associated with poor health, including an increased risk of cancer, weight gain and heart disease. Global consumption of these foods is growing rapidly, and ultra-processed foods now make up more than half of the average diet in the UK and US.
Researchers now say that the way some people consume such products may “meet diagnostic criteria for a substance use disorder.”
Behaviors that might meet these criteria include: severe cravings, withdrawal symptoms, less control over consumption, and continued use despite consequences such as obesity, overeating, poorer physical and mental health, and decreased quality of life, the scientists noted.
An analysis of 281 studies from 36 different countries, published in the BMJ, found that “ultra-processed food addiction” is estimated to affect 14% of adults and 12% of children.
Scientists have said that if some foods high in carbohydrates and fats were officially classified as “addictive”, it could help improve health through changes in social, clinical and political policy.
“There is convergent and consistent support for the validity and clinical significance of food addiction,” says Ashley Gearhardt, corresponding author of the paper and professor of psychology at the University of Michigan in the US. “By recognizing that certain types of processed foods have addictive properties, we may be able to help improve health around the world.”
The authors added that this would also encourage more research into ultra-processed foods. Some experts have recently suggested that these products are being unfairly demonized. However, all experts believe that more research is urgently needed to understand the potential global health implications of eating ultra-processed food.
Co-author Alexandra DiFeliceantonio, an assistant professor at the Fralin Institute for Biomedical Research in the US, added: “Given how common these foods are – they account for 58% of calories consumed in the United States – there is a lot we don’t know.”
Researchers from the US, Brazil and Spain said: “Refined carbohydrates or fats induce levels of extracellular dopamine in the brain striatum similar to those observed with the use of addictive substances such as nicotine and alcohol. Based on these behavioral and biological parallels, foods high in refined carbohydrates or added fats are strong candidates for being addictive.”
The speed at which these foods deliver carbohydrates and fats to the intestines may also play a role in their “addictive potential,” the authors added.
They say food additives may also contribute to “addiction to ultra-processed foods.” While these additives, which are added to foods to add flavor and “enhance mouthfeel,” are unlikely to be addictive on their own, they may “become powerful enhancers of the effects of calories in the gut,” the scientists wrote in their study.
Scientists emphasized that not all products can be addictive. But they concluded that while more research is needed to determine exactly how ultra-processed foods cause an addictive response, those that contained large amounts of refined carbohydrates and fats were “clearly consumed in an addictive manner” and resulted in harmful effects for health.
“Ultra-processed foods, high in refined carbohydrates and added fats, are highly healthy, appealing, highly consumed, and can be addictive,” they continued. – Behavior toward ultra-processed foods may meet diagnostic criteria for a substance use disorder in some individuals. Ultra-processed food addiction is estimated to affect 14% of adults and 12% of children and is associated with biopsychological mechanisms of addiction and clinically significant problems. Understanding that these products are addictive can lead to new social justice, clinical care, and policy approaches.”
#Unexpected #dangers #ultraprocessed #food #revealed