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| http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/health/228378591.html |
The enormity of the obesity
epidemic here in the United States has been recognized more and more in
recent years as a serious public
health problem. There are many aspects
that contribute to the overwhelming number of obese Americans including: cost
of healthy food, availability and affordability of physical activity
facilities, and convenience, cost, and marketing of junk food. A recent study has brought to light an
additional issue- foods like Oreos that are high in sugars and fats are
actually producing the same types of addictive reactions as cocaine. For a research project at Connecticut College, students and faculty
compared rats’ responses to cocaine injections to their reactions to Oreo
cookies and the results are disturbing. “Our research supports the theory that high-fat/ high-sugar
foods stimulate the brain in the same way that drugs do,” Schroeder said. “It
may explain why some people can’t resist these foods despite the fact that they
know they are bad for them.”
In this short video
Neuroscience Professor Joseph Schroeder further explains the experiments with
rats and Oreos, and what that ultimately means for humans.
The fact that junk foods with such high fat and sugar
contents trigger our brains in the same way that extremely addictive drugs do
tells us that facing the
issue of obesity will take much more than just swapping
in some veggies at dinner and putting in a few sidewalks. There is clearly a
significant amount of brain
chemistry involved when it comes to what, why, and how often we eat. Food
addiction is real and it is
impacting the lives of millions.
With this knowledge, how can we as
public health enthusiasts change the way in which we address these issues?
Fall for Health
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