Highly processed foods, like pastries, French fries, and pizza, might trigger withdrawal symptoms similar to those experienced by drug users when they quit, according to a new study from the University of Michigan. This research, the first of its kind, explored the physical and psychological effects people experience when they drastically reduce their consumption of these foods.
Previous research on withdrawal symptoms primarily focused on sugar withdrawal in animals, with limited anecdotal evidence available for humans. However, there’s a consensus in the scientific community that the addictive nature of substances like tobacco, drugs, and alcohol impacts the brain in similar ways. Cutting back on these substances often leads to negative side effects like anxiety, headaches, irritability, and depression, making it challenging to maintain abstinence.
To investigate whether highly processed foods could trigger similar addictive processes, researchers developed a self-report tool to measure withdrawal symptoms in humans. 231 adults were asked to describe their experiences after reducing their intake of highly processed foods in the past year.
The findings revealed that participants experienced a peak in negative symptoms, including sadness, irritability, fatigue, and intense cravings, within the first two to five days of eliminating junk food. These symptoms then gradually subsided, mirroring the typical timeline observed in drug withdrawal.
Interestingly, the study didn’t specify the method participants used to change their eating habits, whether it was an abrupt cessation or a gradual reduction of junk food. Future research will delve into real-time behavioral analysis to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the process.
This study’s implications suggest that the difficulty of dietary changes may stem from withdrawal symptoms, potentially contributing to relapse into unhealthy eating patterns. The presence of these symptoms underscores the potential for highly processed foods to trigger addictive responses similar to those observed with drugs.
