By Bonnie Erbe, Thomas Jefferson Street blog
We now have scientific proof that something most of us suspected for a long time actually exists: an addiction to junk food. According to an article on foodconsumer.org:
"...The worst part is that the rats became so addicted to the junk food, they began compulsively eating it, despite the fact that they received an unpleasant electric shock to their feet if they consumed more than was allowed.
In contrast, rats that were given a healthy diet and only limited access to junk food did not gain much weight; more impressively, they knew when they needed to stop to avoid a junk food hangover.
Rather than just prove addiction to junk food, scientists ought to be all about finding a chemical cure for the addiction. We have biochemical aids to help end our addictions to nicotine, heroin, and all manner of other harmful chemicals. Why can't we find one to cure our addiction to carbohydrates? Bariatric surgery is now known to fail more often than not because--though surgery can trim the size of the stomach--if the person's underlying addiction to carbohydrates isn't cured along with the surgery, over time the weight comes back. Let's hope that cure is the next goal for nutrition researchers.
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Reader Comments Read all comments (25)
kettle of CA 10:09PM May 22, 2010
kelly of CA 10:06PM May 22, 2010
Sushil of NY 2:06AM May 20, 2010