Ultra-Processed Foods Found Addictive Like Tobacco

Research published in the Milbank Quarterly by a team from the University of Michigan, Harvard University, and Duke University reveals that ultra-processed foods can induce addictive behaviors akin to those caused by tobacco products. The study argues that these foods are engineered to maximize pleasure and promote habitual consumption, sharing several characteristics with tobacco, including the ability to intensify reward signals in the brain.

Lead author Prof. Ashley Gearhardt, a clinical psychologist at the University of Michigan, emphasizes that modern food manufacturing complicates the challenge of resisting these products.

The research calls for greater scrutiny of food industry practices and stronger policies to reduce the availability of highly processed foods, particularly among young people, shifting the focus from individual responsibility to the role of the industry in addressing chronic diseases linked to poor diets.