What does it mean to be “addicted” to something? Over the past few decades, the list of things you can become addicted to has expanded well beyond smoking, drugs and alcohol to include gambling, sex, television, social media and video games.
And now scientists write in BMJThere is some debate about whether “ultra-processed foods” (abbreviated as UPF) should also be included here.
UPF are foods that are manufactured in some form or contain ingredients such as emulsifiers, sweeteners, or flavor enhancers to make them more palatable.
It’s this extra taste of UPFs and their improved “mouthfeel” (a terrible sounding word, but easy to understand) that may keep people from eating them. Some researchers suggest that some of these artificial ingredients may also wreak havoc on your hormones and increase the food’s addictive potential.
Addicted to UPF
How do we actually define “addiction”? V BMJ In the article, the authors talk about “behavioral indicators of addiction,” which include “excessive consumption, loss of control over consumption, intense cravings, and continued use despite negative consequences” (for UPF, the last consequences would be weight). profit and illness). Health).
They claim that there is evidence of all these problems when it comes to UPF: ask people on surveys and they will tell you that they suffer from many of these problems. They also claim that in neuroscience experiments, some of the brain’s “reward systems” respond to refined carbohydrates in the same way as substances such as nicotine, although the studies they cite were conducted on rats, not humans.
The new article also makes some arguments on the other side – arguments against the idea that UPFs are considered addictive.
First, we don’t actually know which chemical in UPF is addictive. We know that smoking is associated with nicotine, and many studies have been done to understand its addictive properties at different doses. Could we discover that one of the ingredients commonly added to UPF—for example, a certain emulsifier—is addictive, even at the levels used in foods? I doubt it – and even if we did, the problem with the UPF definition is that the label covers a wide range of things. Regardless of which ingredient you’re concerned about, the vast majority of products rated UPF probably don’t contain it.
So, perhaps it is the special taste appeal (“super deliciousness”) of UPF that makes them addictive. In this case, UPF addiction would more closely resemble one of the so-called “behavioral addictions,” in which no chemical is addictive (except the brain chemicals themselves). Eating disorders are sometimes classified as behavioral addictions, but more controversial concepts such as video game and smartphone addiction also apply.
What about exceptions to the rules? Many “natural” homemade products that are not considered UPF can be highly addictive and lead people to engage in behaviors such as overconsumption and lack of control—the authors cite homemade cookies as an example. And there are some products that are technically UPF and probably aren’t particularly addictive—they offer soy-based “lean meats.” However, this is not a particularly compelling objection: it is likely that there are certain common UPFs that may exacerbate any addiction.
There are a number of other problems with applying the concept of addiction to food that we all consume on a daily basis – as opposed to, say, heroin. While you can talk about overconsumption and food cravings, how do factors like increasing tolerance over time and withdrawal symptoms (both important parts of the concept of addiction) affect foods, both highly processed and otherwise?
UPF or F in general?
“Ultra-processed or not” brings us to the problem with the questionnaire most often used and relied upon to measure food addiction. BMJ Paper. In your list of “main messages” BMJ The authors write that “approximately 14% of adults and 12% of children are addicted to ultra-processed foods.”
But are these people supposedly addicted to UPF or food in general? I asked the doctor. Ashley Gearhardt, a psychologist at the University of Michigan who developed and co-authored the questionnaire. BMJ The article asked if the questionnaire could cover food addiction and not just UPF. She told me that the questionnaire “doesn’t ask about food intake, but [s]urges people to consider consuming conventional, highly processed foods.”
Indeed, the questionnaire begins with a list of what are often considered UPF: sweets, snacks, sugary drinks. But just below and before users list their symptoms, there is the following statement from the doctor. Gehardt seems to directly contradict this:
“…Please think about ANY food or drink similar to those listed in the food and drink groups above, or ANY OTHER food that you have had difficulty with in the past year…”
While I’m sure most people who would be considered food addicts probably eat a lot of what would be considered UPF, the headlines may not be as accurate if both UPF and non-UPF are included in the questionnaire. same definition.
Is it exciting or just something more?
There is no doubt that many people struggle with overeating and eating the wrong foods, as evidenced by the scale of the obesity epidemic, as well as the existence of disorders such as binge eating disorder.
But that doesn’t necessarily mean we can say that foods, especially highly processed foods, are addictive. As I’ve written before, it’s not at all clear whether UPFs actually do something “special” to your body that makes it particularly unhealthy, or whether it’s just an efficient way to consume a lot of calories—calories that lead to obesity and ill health. Since we know little about these mechanisms, it seems premature to place UPF in the same category as cigarettes and crack cocaine.
However, if you want to stop people from taking UPF, you could do worse than calling it an addictive substance. Perhaps this was the authors’ goal BMJ Article: You talk about how classifying UPF as addictive could help open up new policy options such as taxation, labeling, and reformulation. “As previous drug epidemics have demonstrated,” they write, “further action will be required to address the factors that contribute to the uncontrolled spread of potentially addictive PEDs.”
This is similar to the wording of people who have already concluded that UPF is addictive.
But whether the term “addiction” is useful when discussing food—or actually just confuses the topic—is still a matter of scientific debate.
Source: I News
I’m Raymond Molina, a professional writer and journalist with over 5 years of experience in the media industry. I currently work for 24 News Reporters, where I write for the health section of their news website. In my role, I am responsible for researching and writing stories on current health trends and issues. My articles are often seen as thought-provoking pieces that provide valuable insight into the state of society’s wellbeing.