Oreos, America's favorite cookie, has been found by many health experts as responsible for the nation's surge in obesity cases among other famed snacks. There's a reason why.
According to a scientific study using lab rats, the cream filled chocolate disk may be just as addictive as cocaine and morphine.
Students and one professor of neuroscience at Connecticut College found that rats had pleasurable effects of eating the edible treat and the illegal drugs. The study's original purpose was to highlight the potential addictiveness of high-fat/high-sugar foods.
According to the study, eating Oreos activated more neurons in the brain's "pleasure center" than being injected with the narcotics.
"Our research supports the theory that high-fat/ high-sugar foods stimulate the brain in the same way that drugs do," said Connecticut College Professor Joseph Schroeder." It may explain why some people can't resist these foods despite the fact that they know they are bad for them."
Schroeder is licensed by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration to purchase and use controlled substances for research.
Neuroscience major Jamie Honohan, a scholar in the College's Holleran Center for Community Action and Public Policy, originated the research to satisfy her curiosity in studying human behavior and motivations when it comes to food. Honohan was particularly interested in how low-income neighborhoods prevalence of high-fat and high-sugar foods add to the nation's obesity epidemic.
"We chose Oreos not only because they are America's favorite cookie, and highly palatable to rats, but also because products containing high amounts of fat and sugar are heavily marketed in communities with lower socioeconomic statuses," Honohan said. "Even though we associate significant health hazards in taking drugs like cocaine and morphine, high-fat/ high-sugar foods may present even more of a danger because of their accessibility and affordability."
Speaking with TODAY, Schroeder said that he hasn't touched a single Oreo cookie since the experiment.
Schroeder's research will be presented at the Society for Neuroscience conference in San Diego, Calif next month.
