[Your] favorite guilty pleasure snack may be just as addictive as cigarettes or heroin, a new study reveals.

An analysis of 281 studies in 36 countries, published in the British Medical Journal this month, found that your inability to put down the ice cream, chips and candy may have less to do with your self-control and more to do with the addictive quality of ultra-processed foods or UPFs.

“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,” the study said.

  • Toto@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    Havnt we learned anything from past anti-drug campaigns?!

    I can easily go a month with out chips. Now I feel I can easily kick heroin.

    • Fallenwout@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      I had surgery few weeks back and was in a lot of pain. On the OR table, the surgeon was not ready yet but I asked the anesthesiologist to shoot up like 20% of anesthesia while we wait. He laughed and complied. Seriously, I was in heaven waiting for the surgeon to scrub in. I had no pain, no troubles, felt happy and loved, nice warm feeling of pure joy, Iwas at peace with everything. If that is what herion feels like, I totally understand the addiction.

    • N4CHEM@lemmy.ml
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      1 year ago

      Just my thought: I might try some heroin, after all I can avoid chips and ice cream for months without problem.

    • Dontfearthereaper123
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      1 year ago

      Just because it’s as addictive to some doesn’t mean as addictive to you. I’d imagine genetics and personal life experience such as which your used to using as a vice would sway how addictive one or the other was