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veggie

Registered: 07/25/04
Posts: 17,501
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Study: Ice Cream and Chips Are As Addictive As Cocaine 1
#28508423 - 10/17/23 05:12 PM (3 months, 9 days ago) |
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Study: Ice Cream and Chips Are As Addictive As Cocaine October 17, 2023 - Relevant Magazine
We’ve all been there – that irresistible bag of potato chips or bowl of ice cream. You reach for just one, and before you know it, you’ve devoured the whole thing. But don’t blame it on your lack of willpower; junk food is made to be incredibly addictive.
A new study led by University of Michigan professor Ashley Gearhardt found that ultra-processed foods are just as addictive as cocaine and nicotine.
What exactly are UPFs? It’s foods — such as chips, ice cream, candy, soft drinks and more — that have previously been associated with cognitive decline, cancer, psychological distress and premature death.
Gearhardt’s team applied the same criteria used to diagnose substance addiction to create the Yale Food Addiction Scale, which includes uncontrollable consumption, cravings and continued intake despite health risks.
“The combination of refined carbohydrates and fats often found in UPFs seems to have a supra-additive effect on brain reward systems, above either macronutrient alone, which may increase the addictive potential of these foods,” Gearhardt said.
But what makes UPFs so addictive, and why is it more prevalent than addiction to single substances like nicotine?
One theory suggests that it’s not a single ingredient that makes these foods addicting, unlike nicotine in tobacco. Instead, it’s the combination of high levels of carbohydrates and fats in UPFs. While natural foods usually have higher levels of either carbs or fats, UPFs boast disproportionately high levels of both.
Past research has also shown that sugary or fatty foods make healthier alternatives less appealing, potentially leading to overconsumption and weight gain. Consuming UPFs triggers a dopamine rush followed by a sudden drop-off, creating a cycle of craving, seeking satisfaction and crashing — similar to the behavior of someone addicted to drugs or alcohol.
Gearhardt’s team noted that not everyone is equally susceptible to the addictive qualities of these foods, similar to how people can try alcohol or cigarettes without developing problematic relationships with these substances.
Nevertheless, the addictive nature of UPFs has raised concerns among health-conscious scientists. Some suggest that these foods should come with a “tobacco-style” advisory, given their ubiquity in our food supply, but many experts believe that would have about as much impact as getting someone in the 1960s to quit smoking.
* Read Study: Social, clinical, and policy implications of ultra-processed food addiction - PDF
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Blue Cthulhu
Undefined


Registered: 05/27/19
Posts: 494
Loc: With the loons
Last seen: 43 minutes, 23 seconds
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Re: Study: Ice Cream and Chips Are As Addictive As Cocaine [Re: veggie]
#28509510 - 10/18/23 01:25 PM (3 months, 8 days ago) |
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Quote:
Some suggest that these foods should come with a “tobacco-style” advisory, given their ubiquity in our food supply, but many experts believe that would have about as much impact as getting someone in the 1960s to quit smoking.
Well, the public campaign to reduce smoking has actually been very effective in the United States, through a multi pronged approach.
-------------------- "Things are true that I forget, but no one taught that to me yet." A disembodied-re-embodied consciousness be-ing (With all the accoutrements.)
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Yokal
Stranger

Registered: 09/17/20
Posts: 572
Last seen: 1 day, 6 hours
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Re: Study: Ice Cream and Chips Are As Addictive As Cocaine [Re: veggie]
#28509611 - 10/18/23 03:00 PM (3 months, 8 days ago) |
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I've never seen someone rob someone over ice cream
this article is stupid
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durian_2008
Cornucopian Eating an Elephant



Registered: 04/02/08
Posts: 16,666
Loc: Raccoon City
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Re: Study: Ice Cream and Chips Are As Addictive As Cocaine [Re: Yokal]
#28509930 - 10/18/23 08:14 PM (3 months, 8 days ago) |
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You've never seen a small mini mart flash mobbed?
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durian_2008
Cornucopian Eating an Elephant



Registered: 04/02/08
Posts: 16,666
Loc: Raccoon City
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Re: Study: Ice Cream and Chips Are As Addictive As Cocaine [Re: durian_2008]
#28509942 - 10/18/23 08:26 PM (3 months, 8 days ago) |
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I find the article ironic in that it can be interpreted against drug warriorism - cocaine is no more addictive than icecream -- but instead the nanny state wants to put chocolate chips on lockdown.
Quote:
Nanny McPhee state said: When you need me, but do not want me, then I must stay. When you want me, but no longer need me, then I have to go.
Quote:
Joseph de Maistre said: Every nation gets the government it deserves.
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Thomas Jefferson said: The government you elect is the government you deserve.
If you don't deserve external authority, causing artificial scarcity, produce an overabundance of it, independently. Primitive accumulation is the cardinal sin of communism, in the words of Marx, himself. They are offended when there is plenty.
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