Remember Lay’s Potato Chips’ classic slogan “Bet you can’t have just one” and Pringles’ “Once you pop, you can’t stop”? They’re fun, sure, but for so-called food addicts, those taglines might mean more than just a catchy advertising scheme. Research suggests there are strong similarities between food and drug addictions, suggesting it might be just as hard for a binger to put down the pizza as it is for a drug addict to avoid the next fix.

Why It Matters

In the most recent study, researchers looked at what happened when a bunch of mice were fed high-fat foods for six weeks before going back to a normal diet [1]. The mice weren’t obese (just chubby: they gained about 11 percent of their body weight), but their palates had gotten used to the rodent equivalent of Twinkies all day every day. When half the mice went back on a low-fat diet (kale, anyone?) they experienced severe withdrawal symptoms — think anxiety and intense cravings. Even more interesting: The rats’ brains showed similar activity as rodents going through withdrawal from hard drugs such as cocaine. Specifically, the addicted mice’s brains showed higher levels of dopamine and the molecule CREB, both important to food cravings and drug addictions.

Is It Legit?

Likely. Food addiction can be just as powerful in real, live human beings [2]. In one study, researchers examined the brain activity of 48 healthy women while they looked at and then tasted a chocolate milkshake [3]. Those with higher potential to develop food addiction showed heightened anticipation in the brain upon seeing food, yet their brains did not recognize satisfaction after trying to fulfill cravings. This leads to overeating in an attempt to fill that desire, a thought process that’s nearly identical to the brain activity of alcoholics when shown a stiff cocktail [3].

Other research offers further evidence that food addiction is just as much a clinical disorder as drug addiction. One study suggests that food addicts experience a higher incidence of depression and symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder [5]. Some people, unfortunately, might not have as much choice anymore when it comes to those Lay’s and Pringles taglines.

Do you feel like you’re “addicted” to certain foods? Let us know in the comments below or tweet the author directly at @ShanaDLebowitz.

Updated August 2011 by Shana Lebowitz