Highly Processed Foods Linked To Addictive Behaviors And Eating Disorders

Chocolate topped the list of foods that are most addictive, followed by ice cream, French fries, pizza and cookies that have have higher levels of glycemic load and fat.

A new study found that chocolate and pizza are one of the most addictive food. These highly processed food are closely linked to eating disorders or behaviors that mimic addiction.

A research team from the University of Michigan and Columbia University looked into common addictive food. The team analyzed 35 different food items and surveyed 120 undergraduates at the University of Michigan and around 400 adults.

Food Addiction
Food addiction is the compulsive need to eat junk food that has a lot of carbohydrates, sugar, flour and other fatty substances. This can occur even when you are not hungry.

The team used the Yale Food Addiction Scale, developed by psychologist and lead author of the study Ashley Gearhardt, to assess food addiction risk.

Chocolate topped the list of foods that are most addictive. It was followed by favorites such as ice cream, French fries, pizza and cookies. Cheese, bacon, pretzels, fried chicken, soda and cake also made it to the top 20 list.

Processed food have higher levels of glycemic load and fat compared to the non-processed ones.

Fast Food Addiction in Teenagers
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Researchers found that processed food are closely associated with eating disorders or behaviors that mimic addiction.

Source-PTI

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Highly Processed Foods Linked To Addictive Behaviors And Eating Disorders

Chocolate topped the list of foods that are most addictive, followed by ice cream, French fries, pizza and cookies that have have higher levels of glycemic load and fat.