New Delhi, July 29
Your favourite chips, cookies, soda -- ultra-processed foods -- can trigger addictive behaviours that meet the same clinical criteria used to diagnose substance-use disorders, warned a study.
Researchers argued that failure to recognise this in diagnostic systems is a dangerous oversight with grave consequences for global public health.
"People aren't becoming addicted to apples or brown rice," said lead author Ashley Gearhardt, Professor of psychology at the University of Michigan, US.
"They're struggling with industrial products specifically engineered to hit the brain like a drug -- rapidly, intensely and repeatedly," Gearhardt added.
The paper, published in the journal Nature Medicine, synthesised evidence from nearly 300 studies across 36 countries. Their findings demonstrated that ultra-processed foods can hijack the brain's reward system, triggering cravings, loss of control, and persistent use despite harmful consequences -- key features of addiction.