Data suggests addiction to ultra-processed foods is almost at par with tobacco-alcohol addiction, and underlines the need to regulate them.
This analysis shows that addiction to ultra-processed food is as bad as alcohol and nicotine addiction. (Creative Commons)
We’ve all been there: Opening a packet of chips with the very genuine intention of having just a few, only to find ourselves at the bottom of the bag, a mix of pleasure and guilt — salt and oil, too — coursing through our blood vessels.
Why do these ultra-processed foods, or UPFs, have such a powerful grip on our cravings?
A recent analysis — titled Social, Clinical, and Policy Implications of Ultra-Processed Food Addiction and published in the journal The BMJ by US-based researchers Prof Ashley Gearhardt and colleagues — argued why UPFs need to be conceptualised as “addictive” and why doing so would contribute to improving health.
Prof Gearhardt, of the University of Michigan and the lead author of the study, has been at the forefront of defining food addiction.
Adapting diagnostic criteria from substances like alcohol and cocaine, she developed the Yale Food Addiction Scale (YFAS) in 2009. The criteria includes excessive use, cravings, continued consumption despite adverse consequences, and withdrawal symptoms.
Gearhardt cited a recent analysis of two systematic reviews using the YFAS and said that recent research is shining a spotlight on the worrying global trend of food addiction.
14% of adults, 12% of children are showing signs of food addiction. (Wikimedia Commons)
An extensive analysis of studies spanning 36 countries discovered that 14 percent of adults and an alarming 12 percent of children are showing signs consistent with this type of addiction.
To put this into perspective, these numbers are very close to the addiction rates observed for other commonly-consumed legal substances — specifically, 14 percent of adults are addicted to alcohol and 18 percent to tobacco.
“When we delve deeper into specific groups, the situation appears even more grave. For instance, among obese individuals who are undergoing bariatric surgery, the prevalence of food addiction soars to 32 percent. And for those diagnosed with binge-eating disorders, the number is even higher, with over half showing symptoms of food addiction,” the authors state.
Beyond just the behaviour of excessive eating, this kind of addiction is also linked to core elements typical of other addictions, such as reward-driven neural dysfunction, impulsivity, and difficulties regulating emotions.
Moreover, it correlates with deteriorating physical and mental health, as well as a diminished quality of life.
UPFs are industrially-made foods containing ingredients that we would not typically use in our home kitchens.
1 in 7 individuals are addicted to ultra-processed foods. (Creative Commons)
They are the primary source of refined carbohydrates and added fats in many modern diets. These foods often combine both carbohydrates and fats in equal measures, unlike natural foods.
The article’s authors explain that, for instance, while an apple is mostly carbs and salmon is mostly fats, a chocolate bar combines both in almost equal amounts.
The authors also cite that recent research reveals an alarming statistic: One in seven individuals are addicted to ultra-processed foods. In fact, these foods, designed to delight our taste buds, now rival some narcotics in their addictive properties.
The result? UPFs have now surpassed tobacco as the primary cause of premature death, emphasising the urgent need for a shift in our eating habits.
Approximately 12 percent of children are believed to be trapped in the clutches of UPF addiction. The stark numbers highlight the pressing need for regulatory measures to protect our younger generation.
The authors state that these highly-processed delights, whether they are chips, chocolates, or carbonated drinks, aren’t merely hard to resist due to lack of will power; they’re designed that way.
“Researchers have found that UPFs, particularly those rich in refined carbs and added fats, stimulate our brains in ways that make them nearly irresistible,” the analysis in The BMJ states.
Gearhardt’s research has unveiled extreme cases, likening the inability of some individuals to resist UPFs to a lung cancer patient’s struggle to quit smoking.
UPFs change the brain chemistry and make us more addicted to junk food. (Wikimedia Commons)
While traditional food serves to nourish, UPFs primarily aim for profit. Our biological systems, designed to ensure that we consume sufficient sugar and fats, are thrown into overdrive when bombarded with UPFs.
The authors cite the example of distinguishing between homemade cookies and store-bought ones.
“While you might indulge in a few homemade cookies, resisting the pull of a store-bought pack is significantly more challenging. The reason lies in the concentration of addictive ingredients in the latter and their promotion through aggressive marketing,” they explain.
How fast these foods release their addictive components into our system can boost their addictive potential.
“Just as a cigarette delivers nicotine quickly to the brain, making it more addictive than a slow-release nicotine patch, UPFs can affect our brain rapidly due to their altered food matrix. In simpler terms, UPFs are made to be easily and quickly consumed, releasing their ‘addictive’ components rapidly,” explain the authors.
Explaining further, they claim that many UPFs come with flavour enhancers that boost their sweet or savoury taste, and texturisers that make them feel good in our mouth. While these additives might not be addictive by themselves, they reinforce our desire for these foods. They play a role similar to additives in cigarettes, like menthol, which can amplify the effects of nicotine.
To simplify, consuming UPFs floods our brains with dopamine, a “feel-good” chemical. However, as this dopamine surge recedes, it leaves behind a void, prompting us to reach for more UPFs to fill that void. It’s a vicious cycle that mirrors the effects of alcohol and nicotine.
These foods, especially when ultra-processed, have been designed in such a way that they trigger our brain’s reward systems even more than natural foods.
The authors explain that not all fatty foods have addictive potential. The Yale Food Addiction Scale asks people to report on the intake of foods with high levels of refined carbohydrates or added fats, such as sweets and salty snacks.
Just like how only certain drugs are addictive, only specific foods seem to trigger addictive behaviours.
The major culprits? Foods loaded with refined carbohydrates or added fats — think sweets, salty snacks, or that delicious chocolate bar you just can’t resist.
“These types of foods are most strongly implicated in the behavioural indicators of addiction, such as excessive intake, loss of control over consumption, intense cravings, and continued use despite negative consequences,” the authors state.
Interestingly, not all foods high in fats are addictive, remind the authors. Take nuts, for instance. Even though they have a considerable amount of fat, they don’t seem to be as addictive as UPFs. This could be due to the fact that the fats in nuts are trapped within cell walls, making them less available during digestion.
Recognising the existence of UPF addiction is the first step, claims the analysis. Those trapped in its grip should look for early interventions, as they’re crucial for shortening the duration of such disorders.
While UPF addiction isn’t officially acknowledged as a medical condition, potential treatments are emerging.
Sweets, salty snacks, fried food are addictive foods. (Wikimedia Commons)
Doctors South First spoke to agree that there are a few patients seeking help to battles this addiction through methods like cognitive behavioural therapy.
Meanwhile, Dr Vijaykumar, a paediatrician from Bengaluru, tells South First that the Indian government should consider marking UPFs as addictives.
He says, “With obesity creeping into not just adults but children as young as 5-year-olds, it is absolutely important to have a mechanism to regulate the UPFs in the market. We will soon start seeing several lifestyle-related diseases in children as well.”
Metabolic Health Coach Shashikant Iyengar agrees: “Childhood obesity is on the rise in India, largely due to the ready availability of highly processed, addictive junk foods. These products are often loaded with refined grains and oils, making them incredibly difficult to consume in moderation. To tackle this issue effectively, we require robust government regulations regarding how these foods are advertised.”
“It’s crucial to embark on an educational campaign aimed at the general population to raise awareness of the detrimental consequences of excessive ultra-processed junk food consumption. Treating addiction to these foods as seriously as drug addiction is a necessary step to curb the escalating issue of childhood obesity,” he tells South First.
Authors in The BMJ analysis suggest that broad-based policy measures, including imposing taxes on sugary drinks and introducing warning labels on UPFs, can help stem the tide, and Indian doctors vehemently agree with this.
They claim, “With UPFs becoming a significant part of most diets, especially in vulnerable and disadvantaged groups, it’s evident that individual actions are insufficient. Policy measures are the need of the hour,” adds Dr Vijaykumar.
Meanwhile, a released recently study from Nutrition Advocacy for Public Interest (NAPi) — titled The Junk Push: Rising Ultra Processed Food consumption in India: Policy, Politics and Reality — showed how misleading marketing, rising consumption of UPFs in India, and the role of UPFs is triggering an epidemic of non-communicable diseases such as obesity, diabetes, and hypertension, especially in children.
Reacting to the analysis, Dr Arun Gupta, Convenor of NAPi and former member of the Prime Minister’s Council on India’s Nutrition Challenges, tells South First, “It is well known that rising consumption of UPFs is a serious health hazard and greatly enhances the prevalence of obesity, diabetes, and other non-communicable diseases. This study adds significant value to the efforts of the Government of India and public health advocates in order to regulate the marketing of unhealthy UPFs, being addictive.”
He explains the fact that the speed with which we deliver carbohydrates and fats to our gut has an addictive potential. It is no surprise why food corporations spend hundreds and thousands of dollars to achieve a “bliss point” for their food and drinks.
Stressing on the importance and expressing the urgency of implementing policies surrounding this, Dr Gupta adds, “Policy making is clearly a call of the governments, both state and Union. They better act earlier than later. For political parties, it is an opportunity to build a public health regulation to control NCDs in their manifestos for upcoming 2024 elections!”
He says that if the party as a whole is not ready to take up the matter, then at least individual members of the Parliament can also propose a private members’ Bill on this.
The purpose of this Bill would be to draw the government’s attention to what individual MPs see as an issue and gaps in the existing legal framework, which require legislative intervention.
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