Are Oreos as addictive as drugs? That’s what new research from Connecticut College suggests.
In the study, lab rats crawled just as close to Oreos as they did toward cocaine or morphine injections. And when scientists peered into the animals’ brains, they found rodents that munched on the cream-filled cookies showed even greater activation in their pleasure centers than those that received drugs.
One possible reason: While drugs can hijack your brain’s pleasure center system and activate it abnormally, the pleasure center also encourages you to seek out and repeat behaviors that promote survival—and high-fat, high-sugar foods deliver lots of energy to do just that, says study author Joseph Schroeder, Ph.D.
Okay, so cookies aren’t as dangerous as cocaine in the traditional sense. But an Oreo addiction still poses its risks: If you’re not careful, your sweet tooth could set the stage for obesity—and lead to a slew of further setbacks like heart disease or diabetes.
You can fight back by getting plenty of sleep and hitting the gym more frequently. Research has found that people who are even slightly sleep-deprived are more likely to binge on junk foods. Aerobic exercise can also dampen your desire for sweets.
And when it comes to your favorite snacks, try counting each bite, or focusing on the texture of flavor of the food. Paying attention to what you eat could help you fake more self-control—and feel satisfied with less food—according to recent research from the University of Michigan.
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