Study: Junk Food Junkies Have Withdrawal Symptons, Like Regular Junkies
In a study ran by the University of Montreal, it was found that withdrawal from junk food can have similar symptoms to the withdrawal of drugs.
In the study, rats were fed a high-fat and sugary diet for 6 weeks. When switched to a healthier diet, they were found to be depressed and anxious.
Live Science explains that:
“The researchers then examined the brains of the mice and discovered significant changes had occurred: Mice on the high-fat diet had increased levels of corticosterone — a hormone associated with stress –and CREB, a protein closely linked to dopamine functioning. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that causes feelings of reward, and is activated by (among other things) addictive drugs like cocaine and methamphetamine.”
Study co-author Dr. Stephanie Fulton goes on to explain:
“By working with mice, whose brains are in many ways comparable to our own, we discovered that the neurochemistry of the animals who had been fed a high fat, sugary diet were different from those who had been fed a healthy diet.
The chemicals changed by the diet are associated with depression. A change of diet then causes withdrawal symptoms and a greater sensitivity to stressful situations, launching a vicious cycle of poor eating.”
Paul Hudson | Elite.
