Experts: Fast food should carry an addiction warning label

Fast food, the so-called „fast food,“ should be subject to certain regulations that would label it as addictive food, suggests a team of international researchers.

In their view, this could contribute to people paying more attention to what they eat or changing their diet. Scientists believe that fast food should be labeled as „addictive,“ given that estimates show every seventh adult and every eighth child could be „hooked“ on industrially highly processed food.

Symptoms of fast food addiction

A team of international researchers points to a meta-analysis of 281 studies from 36 different countries showing that „ultra-processed food addiction“ occurs in 14 percent of adults and 12 percent of children. The researchers stated that the way some people consume foods rich in fats and carbohydrates could meet the criteria for a diagnosis of an addiction disorder. Behaviors that meet this criterion include, among others, intense cravings, withdrawal symptoms, less control over intake, and continued use despite consequences such as obesity, binge eating disorder, poorer physical and mental health, as well as a lower quality of life, the scientists state.

How can fast food cause addiction?

Ultra-processed, fast food with a high content of refined carbohydrates and added fats is appealing and therefore consumed impulsively, which can cause addiction, scientists believe.

„Given how widespread fast food is, there is so much we don't know,“ emphasized study co-author Alexandra Di Feliceantonio.

The authors of a study published in the journal The BMJ gave the example of a portion of salmon and a chocolate bar. Salmon has a carbohydrate-to-fat ratio of roughly 0 to 1. In contrast, the chocolate bar has a 1-to-1 ratio, which appears to increase the potential for food addiction. Furthermore, that combination has a different effect on the brain, the scientists point out.

Fast food or fats and sugars are like alcohol or nicotine

Researchers from the US, Brazil, and Spain point out that refined carbohydrates or fats trigger levels of extracellular dopamine in the gray matter similar to those seen with substances that cause nicotine and alcohol dependence.

Based on these behavioral and biological parallels, foods containing a high level of refined sugars or added fats become a strong candidate for an addictive substance, scientists warn. They state that not all food has addictive potential, but ultra-processed food does.

Although additives, which are added to food for taste and to improve mouthfeel, probably will not cause addiction on their own, they could become powerful enhancers of the effects of calories in the gut.

SOURCE: EKLINIKA.TELEGRAF.RS, B92PHOTO: PIXABAY