ICE CREAM AS ADDICTIVEAS, COCAINE,

ICE CREAM AS ADDICTIVE AS, COCAINE,

Ice cream buffs, beware! The mouth- watering treat could be as addictive as cocaine, according to researchers who claim to have revealed that the cravings for the two are quite similar. A team at the Oregon Research Institute says it has found that the brain is left wanting more while eating ice cream in the same way as a person who regularly uses cocaine, 'American Journal of Clinical Nutrition' reported. The new study seems to support previous claims that some people can become "addicted" to junk food, say the researchers from the US.

Dr Kyle Burger, the study's co-author, said overeating "high-fat" or "high-sugar" foods appeared to change how the brain responded and in turn downgraded the mental "reward". He told 'The Daily Telegraph': "This down- regulation pattern is seen with frequent drug use, where the more an individual uses the drug, the less reward they receive for using it. "This tolerance is thought to increase use, or eating, because the individual (is) trying to achieve the previous level of satisfaction. Repeated, overconsumption of high-fat or high-sugar foods may alter how the brain responds to those foods in a way that perpetuates further intake. "The data supports the theory that overeating such foods may result in changes in how the brain responds to those foods in a similar fashion seen in drug addiction." 

                                                                         Prof. John Kurakar