Study Finds Addictive Properties in Junk Food

Junk food could have the same addictive qualities as class-A drugs such as heroin or cocaine, scientists at the Scripps Research Institute, Florida, US, have warned.

The scientists found a diet of fatty and sugary food led to compulsive overeating among rats and caused neurochemical changes in their brains.

The changes were similar to the sort of alterations in the human brain caused by addiction to heroin and cocaine, the report found.

Scripps Research Institute professor Paul Kenny said the study presents the most thorough and compelling evidence that drug addiction and obesity are based on the same underlying neurobiological mechanisms.