A new study finds that some foods have more in common with cigarettes than with whole, healthy foods — and may need stricter regulation.
Researchers at Harvard, the University of Michigan, and Duke University emphasized that ultra-processed products, like cigarettes, are designed to be addictive.
What led the team to this conclusion?
Ultra-processed foods (sometimes called highly processed products) are widely available around the globe. They are often made using emulsifiers, artificial colors, and flavors, making them tasty and inexpensive.
These products are high in salt, sugar, and fats, and thanks to preservatives, they have a long shelf life. Yet, they are extremely harmful to health. This category includes sugary sodas, instant soups, sausages, fast food items, and packaged snacks like chips and cereals.
Researchers noted similarities between how these foods are produced and how tobacco products are made, and in the speed with which both types of products trigger the brain’s reward centers.
In their comparisons, the scientists used data on consumption, nutrition, and health history.
The team believes that marketing claims about “low fat” or “sugar-free” in ultra-processed products are similar to the advertising of cigarette filters in the 1950s. In practice, these “protective innovations” offer no real benefits.
Professor Ashley Gerhardt, a clinical psychologist specializing in addictions, shared that her patients have drawn similar parallels. One of them, for instance, said: “I feel addicted. I used to smoke cigarettes, and now I have the same craving for soda and donuts. I know it’s killing me; I want to quit, but I can’t.”
And while food, unlike tobacco, is essential for survival, the authors argue that this makes ultra-processed food even more dangerous. People find it hard to separate themselves from the modern food environment, The Guardian reported.
Professor Gerhardt said consumers should be able to tell harmful ultra-processed products apart from other foods, just as shoppers distinguish between different drinks.
Meanwhile, Professor Martin Warren, a leading food researcher who did not participate in the study, stated that while parallels can be drawn between ultra-processed food and tobacco, the authors risk “overstating” their comparisons.
The scientist also considers it important to examine whether the adverse health effects of ultra-processed foods are related to their composition or to the replacement of “whole foods rich in fiber, micronutrients, and protective phytochemicals.” According to Professor Warren, this will determine whether regulatory measures for ultra-processed food should be similar to those applied to cigarettes, or if the focus should instead be on improving the quality and standards of food processing and diversifying the food system.
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