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Quitting junk food produces similar withdrawal-type symptoms as drug addiction:
If you plan to try and quit junk food, expect to suffer similar withdrawal-type symptoms—at least during the initial week—like addicts experience when they attempt to quit using drugs.
A new study by University of Michigan is believed to be the first of its kind to evaluate withdrawal symptoms people incur when they stop devouring highly processed foods, such as pastries, French fries and pizza.
Previous studies have focused on sugar withdrawal among animals and the literature regarding humans offered only anecdotal evidence, said Erica Schulte, the study's lead author and U-M psychology doctoral candidate.
What all researchers can agree upon is that the addictive qualities of tobacco, drugs or alcohol affect the brain similarly and cutting back can lead to negative side effects that can make it difficult to reduce intake. Anxiety, headaches, irritability and depression are some of those outcomes.
Understanding whether withdrawal may also occur with highly processed foods was an essential next step in evaluating whether these foods might be capable of triggering similar addictive processes.
Abstract: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0195666318306196 (DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2018.09.013
Pizza is not junk food! It's also not a pie.
(Score: 2) by Weasley on Tuesday September 25 2018, @02:49PM (7 children)
Tell that to millions of obese Americans who can't quit junk food. If it looks like an addiction and quacks like an addition...
(Score: 3, Informative) by insanumingenium on Tuesday September 25 2018, @04:08PM (5 children)
Funny AA tells you "not even one", but total abstinence from eating carries a 100% chance of causing acute to chronic morbidity. I wonder how easy even a 6 month chit of "exactly one pint of light beer a day" would be.
Then stop and think about the fact that a majority of the easily available food (time/effort/price, play through your engineers triangle any way you like) you are characterizing as "junk food".
A proper meal takes a decent amount of time and effort (in prep and cleanup) and isn't as cheap as people like to think. Never-mind that a shocking percentage of people flat can't boil water to save their lives.
That said, I have kicked caffeine (admittedly the most minor drug one could kick), and I have lost a significant amount of body weight through diet, there is no comparison between the efforts. Caffeine makes you hurt when you quit, and I found that even after a significant time away (~6 mo) a single dose was enough to put me back in pain town. I decided to manage and not eliminate my caffeine addiction. Dieting wasn't in the same class, neither was easy, but they are not comparable.
(Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Tuesday September 25 2018, @05:45PM (4 children)
Caffeine is the absolute worst to kick for me. Hunger's not that fun and the jitters aren't either but I get actual and significant pain from caffeine withdrawals. Plus, not really wanting to quit is hell on the willpower.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday September 25 2018, @06:54PM
Same here.
I get migraines so bad only codeine/morphine will stop them. Its like some is ramming a carving knife into my head.
And I get really tired and sleep 12 hours.
Then the next time I am having a rough day and have not had enough sleep...
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday September 25 2018, @08:32PM (2 children)
Yeah, the first time I got a caffeine withdrawal headache - and realized what it was - was when I decided to stop drinking caffeine.
There were a few days of headaches, but it wasn't that bad or long.
(Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Wednesday September 26 2018, @01:58AM (1 child)
They're functionally crippling after decades of heavy-ish daily consumption. Not migraines, just extremely painful headaches. Even without side effects, I still wouldn't be motivated to quit though. Most all stimulants help with ADHD.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 2) by insanumingenium on Wednesday September 26 2018, @03:28PM
It is the only drug that you will not only be socially acceptable, but will almost certainly be offered at every gathering, from meals, to business meetings, to church on Sunday (or Friday or Saturday even for all I know). It isn't like I am ever going to have to go without short of apocalypse.
(Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Tuesday September 25 2018, @05:37PM
I just did. Link them to the original post if you like. If you'd ever put yourself through both you would know that the comparison is laughable.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.