Processed Food Can Be Addictive

If my grandmother were alive today, I am sure that she would adamantly insist that she could have told me this! She was a strong advocate against anything processed and she just might have been right. According to a study conducted by scientists from New Zealand, “compulsive food consumption has similar underlying brain mechanisms that result in drug dependence, and argue that heavily processed carbohydrates have the most potential to cause addiction.”

So what does the evidence show? Simon Thurley, the lead researcher of the group who also belongs to the Auckland Regional Public Health Service, says that the problem lies in kinds of food that have a high glycemic index, or GI, and that most processed food have a high GI. What happens is that food with high GI causes the level of blood sugar to suddenly go up. Basically, there is a sugar rush within the body of the person who takes in the food with high GI. And how is the sugar rush addictive? The studies show that it actually stimulates the parts of the brain that are stimulated when nicotine and other sorts of drugs are ingested.

The implications of the results of this study are huge. In fact, this could mean that obesity is a result of an addiction. It could very well be an addiction. However, another expert by the name of Boyd Swinburn is quick to point out that the study is not conclusive and that obesity may be far from a mere addiction. Still, it would be wise not to eat too much of processed food, don’t you think?