JUNK FOOD Junkies...Truly! ow we're getting somewhere. Finally, scientists have determined, albeit in rats, that eating sugar, fat and carbs... things that aren't good for us, are causing serious addictions. An article in the London Daily Telegraph on January 28th, by Robert Uhlig, points out fascinating data on what fast food actually does to our brains. No wonder we're becoming a world of obese people with no understanding why this is happening. Yesterday, in a supermarket lineup (before I read the article) I overheard two young girls, sisters it seemed, who were arguing about whether or not to purchase a large bag of potato chips. The younger girl (perhaps 14 and overweight) begged for the snack and the older sister was lecturing her on how to be healthy and maintain a good lifestyle, sans potato chips. The store clerk and I both got into the discussion and the consensus was that if we all read the ingredients and convinced ourselves that junk food was yucky and horrible, we'd all be much further ahead. One of the most telling statements in the article (which said that fast food triggers hormonal changes in the body making the brain throw caution to the wind) was "people who are denied their high dose of fat and sugar can experience withdrawal symptoms." We've always known that chocolate produces endorphins in the brain giving that feel-good aura, but who would have known that hamburgers, French fries, and apple turnovers would end up doing the same thing? The brain chemical changes in the rats were positively radical! The next finding was that the rats progressively needed more and more of the offending foods to satiate their appetite/addiction. Some of the symptoms seen in the experiments were shakes, fits, nervousness and anxiety when the rodents were deprived of their sugar fix. Dr. Anne Kelly, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine, neuroscientist, noticed that when the rats were stimulated with enkephalin, a synthetic opioid similar to that in the "non" food we eat, they ate up to six times the amount of fat they were normally getting. And, on top of that, they were suddenly eating large amounts of salty, sweet and alcoholic offerings which they weren't touching before. Because of these relevant and serious findings, we will see a change in the way the world perceives fast food. Right now MacDonald's is "King" and many people can't drive by an outlet without stopping for some kind of treat (and those Playplaces don't help at all as it makes parents feel worthy letting their little ones romp while they, and the kids ingest the bad stuff.) Who can blame people travelling with children for wanting to give them a bit of fun and activity...it may be more dangerous than we thought! Lawsuits, as per the article, are already being launched. One recent one was lost by the plaintiff who had claimed that four fast food chains were partially responsible for his Diabetes and heart attacks. Class actions are already in the works, though. We can be sure that this new information will be used to force the fast-food and junk food producers to ante up with large amounts of money towards the cost of health care in our world today. So, in addition to the Cancer Association, we'll surely have the "Dangerous Fast-Food Association" and the DFFAA twelve step program not far behind. Overeaters Anonymous will grow by leaps and bounds! Back to the Writing Index