Ultra-processed foods could be as addictive as smoking, study says

BOSTON - A new study finds that ultra-processed foods could be as addictive as smoking.

Ultra-processed foods include those high in carbohydrates and fats like candy, ice cream, and potato chips. Researchers in the U.S., Brazil, and Spain said these foods can be as hard to give up as addictive substances like tobacco, drinking, and gambling. These foods are highly rewarding, appealing, and often consumed compulsively, and in some cases, behaviors around these foods could meet the criteria for the diagnosis of substance use disorder.

They estimate that 14 percent of adults and 12 percent of children suffer from ultra-processed food addiction and that understanding that these foods can be addictive could lead to better regulation and treatment.

In:
• Health
• Food & Drink

Mallika Marshall, MD

Mallika Marshall, MD is an Emmy-award-winning journalist and physician who has served as the HealthWatch Reporter for CBS Boston/WBZ-TV for over 20 years. A practicing physician Board Certified in both Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, Dr. Marshall serves on staff at Harvard Medical School and practices at Massachusetts General Hospital at the MGH Chelsea Urgent Care and the MGH Revere Health Center, where she is currently working on the frontlines caring for patients with COVID-19. She is also a host and contributing editor for Harvard Health Publications (HHP), the publishing division of Harvard Medical School.

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