Scientists claim junk food is as addictive as heroin

Scientists claim junk food is as addictive as heroin
by Tom Laskawy
27 Oct 2009 Link to full article below

With the rumors swirling that Michelle Obama is a big fan of former FDA Commissioner David Kessler’s new book The End of Overeating, it seems reasonable to check in on the science behind an “addiction model” for salty, sweet, and fatty processed food (an assertion at the core of the book). As it happens, a group of researchers from the independent, not-for-profit Scripps Research Institute has just released a new peer-reviewed study on the subject. The conclusion: the brain responds to junk food the same way it does to heroin:

Junk food elicits addictive behavior in rats similar to the behaviors of rats addicted to heroin, a new study finds.

To read the full article: http://www.grist.org/article/scientists-claim-junk-food-is-as-addictive-as-heroin