Student researchers at Connecticut College recently discovered that Oreos are not only America’s Favorite Cookie, but also may be dangerously addictive like some less savory substances.
In a recent study, lab rats were put into a maze stacked with rice cakes and Oreos and left to react to both types of food. After a few scientific tests, the fat- and sugar-laden cookies proved to be just as addictive as morphine and cocaine.
“Our research supports the theory that high-fat/ high-sugar foods stimulate the brain in the same way that drugs do,” Professor Joseph Schroeder, who oversaw the research, said. “It may explain why some people can’t resist these foods despite the fact that they know they are bad for them.”
In general, researchers found that Oreos activated the same sensors in the brain as these drugs do — and the cookies surprisingly showed more intense pleasures, tapping into a greater number of neurons than drugs of abuse.
“It basically tells us how many cells were turned on in a specific region of the brain in response to the drugs or Oreos,” said Schroeder. “This correlated well with our behavioral results and lends support to the hypothesis that high-fat/ high-sugar foods are addictive.”
The student who thought of the research project, Jamie Honohan, said that this could present a significant risk to the health of the general public.
“Even though we associate significant health hazards in taking drugs like cocaine and morphine, high-fat/ high-sugar foods may present even more of a danger because of their accessibility and affordability,” Honohan said.
