Study: Now is the time to recognize and respond to addiction to ultra-processed foods (DOI: 10.1038/s41591-025-03858-6)
New research by a University of Michigan psychologist and colleagues makes the strongest case yet that ultra-processed foods-including chips, cookies, soda and other heavily engineered products-aren't just tempting; they can actually be addictive.
These ultra-processed foods can trigger addictive behaviors that meet the same clinical criteria used to diagnose substance-use disorders.
The authors from the fields of addiction science and nutrition argue that failure to recognize this in diagnostic systems is a dangerous oversight with grave consequences for global public health.
The call to action comes at a pivotal moment. U.S. Congressional hearings have recently spotlighted the role of addictive ultra-processed foods in rising childhood chronic disease rates, and a major lawsuit filed in Philadelphia in late 2024 accuses 11 food companies of deliberately designing and marketing addictive products to children.
In response to growing concerns, the Food & Drug Administration and National Institutes of Health have launched a new joint initiative modeled after the successful Tobacco Regulatory Science Program-a move that signals growing consensus that addiction science must now be applied to the food system.
"People aren't becoming addicted to apples or brown rice," said lead author Ashley Gearhardt, University of Michigan professor of psychology. "They're struggling with industrial products specifically engineered to hit the brain like a drug-rapidly, intensely and repeatedly."
The landmark paper, published in Nature Medicine, synthesizes evidence from nearly 300 studies across 36 countries demonstrating that ultra-processed foods can hijack the brain's reward system, triggering cravings, loss of control and persistent use despite harmful consequences-key features of addiction.
Neuroimaging studies reveal that individuals with compulsive intake of these foods show brain circuit disruptions strikingly similar to those seen in alcohol and cocaine addiction. Notably, medications that reduce cravings for ultra-processed foods have also been found to reduce compulsive drug use, underscoring the shared neurobiological mechanisms.
Importantly, Gearhardt and colleagues highlight a double standard: Conditions like nitrous oxide and caffeine use disorder have been included in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, which classifies mental disorders, based on limited evidence. Yet despite abundant and growing support, ultra-processed food addiction has yet to receive even preliminary recognition as a condition worthy of further study.
"The bar for recognizing addiction has been far lower in other cases," said co-author Erica LaFata, assistant research professor at Drexel University's Center for Weight, Eating, and Lifestyle Science. "It's time ultra-processed food addiction was held to the same scientific standard."
Critics often argue that food, unlike drugs or tobacco, is necessary for survival. The authors, however, dismantle this claim by drawing a clear distinction between whole foods and ultra-processed ones. Much like cigarettes bear little resemblance to raw tobacco, modern junk foods are stripped of nutrients and packed with refined sugars, fats and additives designed for maximum reinforcement.
"We've created a food environment flooded with products that function more like nicotine than nutrition," the researchers wrote. "And children are the primary targets."
The authors call on public health leaders, clinicians, and policymakers to take immediate steps: formally recognize ultra-processed food addiction, fund research and clinical tools for identification and treatment, and enact protective measures similar to those used in tobacco control-including restrictions on marketing to children, clearer labeling, and public education.
"We're not saying all food is addictive," Gearhardt said. "We're saying that many ultra-processed foods are designed to be addictive. And unless we recognize that, we'll continue to fail the people most affected-especially kids."
Gearhardt's contribution was funded in part by a grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (R01DA055027).
Other co-authors include: Alyssa Moran of the University of Pennsylvania and Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute of Drug Abuse.
