More than one in eight middle-aged and older Americans is addicted to ultra-processed foods, according to a national survey.
It found that 13 percent of adults in their 50s to 80s exhibit signs of binge eating, including physical withdrawal, eating more than planned, and an inability to eat less.
Forty-four percent of those surveyed said they had at least one of the symptoms listed in the simple 11-question questionnaire, which you can answer yourself below.
Experts speaking to last year called for junk food to be reclassified as drugs.
Scroll down to take the test and find out if you are addicted to junk food
Experts speaking to last year called for junk food to be reclassified as drugs
More than one in eight middle-aged and older Americans is addicted to ultra-processed foods, according to a national survey. It found that 13 percent of adults in their 50s to 80s exhibit signs of binge eating, including physical withdrawal, eating more than planned, and an inability to eat less
ARE YOU ADDICTED TO PROCESSED FOODS?
If you answer yes to at least two of the following symptoms, you could be addicted to highly processed foods, meaning foods that have been altered in some way during preparation.
Eating many highly processed foods can have several negative health effects that increase a person’s risk of serious health problems such as obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes
The new results come from the most recent National Healthy Aging Survey conducted by the University of Michigan
Scientists believe this is because such foods activate the same reward pathways in the brain that mediate drug addiction. Eating junk food releases a rush of dopamine in the brain.
The questionnaire asked respondents to report experiencing at least two out of 11 indicators of binge eating, in addition to two additional questions to measure the extent to which their lives were impacted by their addiction.
Forty-four percent of respondents reported having at least one of the symptoms described in the questionnaire.
Women were more likely to be addicted to ultra-processed foods like candy, salty snacks, sugary drinks, and fast food. Dependence on ultra-processed foods was also found in 17 percent of adults ages 50 to 64 and eight percent of adults ages 65 to 80, as well as 22 percent of women ages 50 to 64 and 18 percent of women aged between the ages of 50 and 80.
Men and women who were already in poor physical condition were more than twice as likely to show signs of addiction — 32 percent and 14 percent, respectively.
Meanwhile, junk food addiction has also been observed in 45 percent of women who say their mental health is fair or poor and 23 percent of men who say the same. That’s three times the proportion who say their mental health is excellent, very good, or good.
Addiction was also seen in more than half of women reporting feelings of isolation, while 26 percent of men said the same.
UM psychologist Dr. Ashley Gearhardt said: “The word addiction may seem strong when it comes to food, but research has shown that our brains respond just as strongly to highly processed foods, particularly those highest in sugar, simple starches and fat to tobacco, alcohol and other addictive substances.’
dr Gearhardt, with the help of Yale University scientists, developed the questionnaire used in the study called the Yale Food Addiction Scale.
“Just like with smoking or drinking, we need to identify and reach out to those who have adopted unhealthy consumption patterns and support them in forming a healthier relationship with food,” she added.
Intense cravings were the most common symptom, with almost one in four reporting that at least once a week they had such a craving to eat a piece of junk food that they couldn’t think of anything else. And 19 percent said they’ve tried limiting or eliminating these foods at least twice a week and have been unsuccessful.
An inclination to highly processed foods greatly increases a person’s risk of developing obesity, which has become a major public health problem in America.
The number of obese Americans has been rising sharply for decades, with four in 10 now being medically overweight.
Survey leader Dr. Jeffrey Kullgren, associate professor of internal medicine at Michigan Medicine, said, “Clinicians need to better understand how binge eating and problem eating are related to their patients’ physical and mental health, including chronic conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, and certain cancers.”
“We need to understand that cravings and behaviors related to food are ingrained in brain chemistry and heredity, and that some people may need extra help, just like they would to quit smoking or drinking.”