SoylentNews is people
SoylentNews
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: 3, Touché) by bzipitidoo on Tuesday September 25 2018, @02:55PM (1 child)
The phrase "sugar rush" has been around since at least the 1980s. There's a 2012 book, "Born With a Junk Food Deficiency" by Martha Rosenberg that, while overly sensationalist, gives some details and supporting evidence for what we all suspect, which is that food hawkers, like every business, want to make more money any way they can. If there's a conflict between public health and making more money, we know which way they go, every time.
Okay, back to the video games. Let's see, which one? Fruit Ninja? Burgertime? Wait-- Candy Crush, yeah! Or, no -- Food Fight!
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Phoenix666 on Tuesday September 25 2018, @04:11PM
There is, though, a similar addiction in the other direction once you get used to eating healthy food. It becomes nearly impossible to tolerate junk. You crave vitamins and healthy fats. Eating Wonderbread or McDonald's is nauseous.
Washington DC delenda est.