Throughout this video, ABC News recognizes just how addicting junk food can be. A cat scan of the brain taken at Duke University
Doctors refer to this addiction as being considered a substance abuse problem. Junk food triggers the part of the brain where learning habits develop, causing problematic issues. Pleasure sensors in the brain become less responsive overtime, signaling addiction.
A professor from Cornell, stated how the addiction towards junk food is as similar to those who do cocaine. The more obese the participant is, the more similar their reaction to junk food gets to that of cocaine addict. The trigger foods contain high amounts of fat and calories which are clearly unhealthy for the body.
Doctors have discovered several treatments for this addiction. Some of these include teaching yourself to eat healthier, thus healing to cure obesity, the main problem. Scientists find that the treatments for healing junk food addiction are similar to treating drug addicts.
- Do you believe that junk food is addicting on the level of cocaine/other drugs?
- Do you think you are addicted to junk food, if so what kind?
- Should they open rehab facilities for junkies?
- How does society influence people’s decisions on consuming junk food?
I do believe that junk food can be as addictive as cocaine or other drugs. Especially if it is to someone who eats junk food regularly. It is difficult for people who eat junk food regularly to suddenly stop from eating it. This is similar to drugs. I like junk food but I'm not addicted to it. I eat it once in awhile. Society influences other people's decisions on consuming junk food but word of mouth. Basically the same way you would want to promote a restaurant
ReplyDeleteI can believe that junk food is addicting, but I find it hard to believe that it is as addicting as some drugs. Speaking as someone who has junk food maybe once a week though, I would not know how addicting it is from experience. Society almost forces us to eat these foods though, considering how convenient and readily available they are. I feel like this would be an easier addiction to break than drugs, since it is very possible to make healthy meals at home that taste just as good or better than fast food. One just has to put in the effort of making them.
ReplyDeleteI believe that junk food can be addicting, however, I'm not so sure that it is as addicting as a drug like cocaine. The video does say that the more someone eats junk food, or the more obese someone is, the more they will be addicted to it. This would explain why it is so hard for people to change their diet in order to lose weight, so I suppose there is some truth to it. I think that if there is scientific proof that junk food is addictive, there should be a rehab for it just like an addictive drug. However, a rehab for food junkies should be ran differently than a rehab for a drug addict. Since obesity is linked to food addiction there should be programs to help people choose healthier foods, but exercise should also be incorporated into the rehab program.
ReplyDeleteI think it's very believable that junk food can be addicting, but to say it can be as addicting as cocaine is a far stretch in my opinion. I've never seen anyone go through withdrawal from not eating junk food so it's an extreme comparison in my opinion but I definitely believe it could happen if a person is that severely addicted. I think that more minor forms of junk food addiction are definitely problematic and that's why the obesity rate is so high. Some sort of rehab that could help individuals learn how to deal with their cravings and choose healthier alternatives could really be beneficial.
ReplyDeletei think its believable that junk food can be addicting but not as addicting as strong drugs. I am not addicted to junk food but i enjoy having it whenever i want. society influences eating junk food strongly i believe because there is always new types of candy and junk food being made. also it is very easy to get, there almost at every store you go into.
ReplyDeleteThere is no way junk food can be as addiciting as drugs like cocaine or heroin. These drugs and mnay more like them have chemical compounds that make them addicting. Junk food does no have these sorts of compounds. As for rehab facilites, that is pointless because if people want to quit eating bad an start eating healthier, I believe that is their job and thier job alone.
ReplyDeleteIt is interesting to know another bad effect of junk food. To be honest, I didn't know junk food can be addicting, but I tend to believe it to some extent. I'm interested in future researches about the detailed reason of its addicting. The articles says that the effect of junk food addiction is similar to that of drugs, but the reason is not mentioned. Does junk food influence our nervous system, like drugs do? If the answer is yes, this research will definately shock the whole juck food industry.
ReplyDeleteJunk food is not addicting in the same way that hard drugs are. A junk food addiction would be more similar to someone who is addicted to facebook. In some asian countries, there are actually rehab facilities for people addicted to the internet and video games but a rehab facility for a junk food addiction would just be a gym. Hard drugs create a chemical dependence in the body which is not the same way that junk food affects people.
ReplyDeleteI don't think junk food is not as addicting as hard drugs. Hard drugs are a lot stronger than food, and take over the entire body not just your mind, and stomach like food. I don't think comparing drugs and junk food is a fair comparison because people will kill over drugs, and I have never heard of people getting shot over some candy. Also, they already have a type of rehab for obese people. They see doctors and nutritionists frequently or can even have surgery to help fix their problem. Surgery cannot fix a drug addiction thought. Nevertheless I do think junk food is powerful, but a strong mind can easily conquer it.
ReplyDeleteI believe that junk food is addicting but not as addictive as cocaine or any other drugs. Luckily, I am not addicted to junk food. People under the addiction of junk food may unable to stop themselves from taking any kind of junk food. So, I think, the presence of rehab facilities for junkies will help people with this problem for a reason that rehab facilities can train those people on how to have a healthy diet.
ReplyDeleteI believe that junk for is addicting. However i do not believe it is as an extreme addiction such as hard drug use. I also dont think that the addiction of junk food should be taken lightly because there are serious negative effects that it has on the human body.It is easy to be addicted to chips and candies. Mostly consisting of munchies that satisfy our taste but not our nutritional needs. We see so many commercials on the best chips out there or the chocolatiest cookies on the market through TV, and also ads in magazines and other places. Majority of there claim is based on taste which draws in many people. Rehab for junkies is a very interesting idea, i dont know if the issue needs to be brought that far, but i do think that many of s need help in know what direction to go in to stop consuming as much junk food as we do in today's society.
ReplyDeleteI believe that junk food can be addicting, but I don't think that it is as addicting as hard drugs. I think that it would be much harder for a cocaine addict to come off cocaine than it would be for a junkie to give up junk food. I am not addicted to junk food. I have never really enjoyed candies or chocolates, but I do have a weakness for cheesecake. Although I admit that I have a weakness for it, I find that I am still able to resist it. Society has a major influence on people's decision to consume junk food. The whole junk food industry spends billions in advertising every year. They also know who is their target audience. Junk food companies air tv commercials on young children's tv channels and many convenience stores place the junk food in front of the registers making it hard to resist, especially for that price. Places like Panera or other cafes purposely put their bakery goods such as cupcakes and cookies in the front of their store in order to attract people and make the desserts hard to resist. I feel that if the desserts were just on the menu and not out for everyone to see, less people would consume them and they would be easier to resist.
ReplyDeletewow...some of the things that were said in this video surprised me a lot. I believe that the comparison to heroine and cocaine may be a little extreme, but then again, I do not know what goes through the brain of addicted people. The research on rats was very surprising that even with an electric shock, they still went for the junk. This was a very interesting and engaging topic. I do not think I am addicted to junk food at all but sometimes it can be hard to resist that cookie or piece of dessert. In moderation however, you will be fine. I do not think rehab facilities are necessary because if people have the initiative to go to rehab, they can look up all of the information on the subject and apply it to their own life.
ReplyDeleteI definitely think junk food is addicting. I think it's hard to compare the levels of addiction, though. You know that drugs are very addicting because they have extremely detrimental effects on peoples’ health but people who are addicted use them anyway, and will go to extreme lengths to do so. People who are addicted to junk food may suffer from health problems, but not on the level that drug addicts do. If junk food caused the same side effects as drug usage, we don’t know if people would continue to eat it or not. Therefore, we can’t accurately compare the levels of addiction.
ReplyDeleteI think society conditions us to eat whatever is readily available, and junk food definitely qualifies. People have busy schedules and don’t have time to prepare healthy food, or really prepare anything. When I eat junk food, I eat it because I have it. If I only had lettuce and cucumbers in my room, I would eat salad all the time. It may be slightly depressing, but I would rather eat salad than junk food if it means I can sit in my room instead of having to go somewhere.
While I do not think that junk food is nearly as addicting as strong drugs, I think that it can be hard to stop eating. I think that pleasure receptors get triggered and that is what causes the repetitive behavior. I am in no way addicted to junk food. I think that instead of opening rehabs for junkies, there should just be more programs in place to promote healthy eating and healthy lifestyles. Society influences people's decisions on consuming junk food mainly because society is so fast paced, people may not have time to prepare or purchase healthy foods and instead they get fast-food which is much less healthy.
ReplyDeleteIt’s hard to say whether junk food is as addicting as certain drugs without having personal experience. That being said, I certainly think “junk food” is addicting. I try for the most part not to eat it in the first place. For me it’s the salty snacks that stand out as most addicting. I think we can all account for reaching into a bag of chips with the intention of only having a few, and not being able to stop eating. I think it would be a waste of money to build junkie rehab institutions. The bottom line is that we are all responsible for what we put in our bodies, and parents are responsible for what they feed their kids. Our country glamorizes junk food through advertising and makes it easily accessible. However, society also provides us with information on how to lead a healthy life. The way society promotes unhealthy food does not justify eating so much junk food that we turn ourselves into addicts.
ReplyDeleteI think that most people who have posted comments so far have already expressed a similar thought to mine. But claiming that "addiction" to junk food is even similar to drugs is BS. I cant even believe someone would make this comparison. Have you ever heard of a person going through withdrawal because they haven't gotten their junk food fix? Contrary to this what this video has to say, I do NOT believe that there is any "junk food addiction". The doctor at 1:45 doesn't even think so. When the reporter asks if obese people are addicted to junk food like a cocaine user to cocaine, he answers hesitantly, "In many ways they can be." How many different ways can you be addicted to cocaine? Obviously junk food is awesome because it tastes great. I know that I eat more junk food than I think I should. But I know for a fact that I am not even close to addicted. So I believe that people who are "addicted" to junk food, are people who simply display poor self control. There is endless amounts of information everywhere about how to eat healthy and why you should. If you choose not to acknowledge this and claim addiction to junk food, that is your own fault.
ReplyDeleteJunk food I would say yea it is or can be that addicting as cocaine and other drugs. I say that because I America is the most obese country and it seems that many are addicting and cannot stop. If I could say what I am addicting to, I wouldn't say I am but when there are cookies around I can't help but have one. Rehab facilities sounds drastic but I guess it wouldn't hurt to give it a shot. I would say it would save lives. Society does convince us to eat so poorly with the advertisements and the cheapness of junk food, but I would say parents need to from the get-go give their children a balance healthy diet instead of giving what the child wants.
ReplyDelete'balanced' diets are a scheme, nothing more.
ReplyDeleteMeat should be the driver of the diet for any moderately active person. The over emphasis on fruits and vegetables is just nonsense, plain and simple. Think about what we are (omniverous animals) and how little benefit comes directly from fruit and vegetables, except for the water they contain, and you can plainly see how brain washed we are as a society, its incredible.