Are foods engineered to be addictive a problem?

[Mifuyne]

Staaaaahp! The sugar or calorie part is bad (obesity and diabetes), but not the worst part about energy drinks. You are killing your stomach and your kidneys. If you can't cut them out, at least switch to the ones with low amounts of b vitamins and shit like that

Trust me, I know the bad effects this shit has on me
Really hard to give up one of the only things that make me happy, even if for a short while and having destructive consequences.

[Acidbaron]

Unfortunately, subsidies in the U.S. are a real problem. Most of them go to sugar (I've no idea why) and animal agriculture. I don't see that changing any time soon because those are the wealthiest industries with the most powerful lobbies.

They are subsidized and powerful everywhere to be honest. They can spend up to a Billion euro's to prevent easy food warning labeling and they succeeded we had planned in the EU to make it clear how sugar, fat or salt rich they were. All was lobbied away.

[melodramocracy]

If someone gets addicted to it while others don't, then that's a personal issue with the one getting addicted.

Worth noting next time someone argues that drugs should remain illegal.

[P for Pancetta]

If someone gets addicted to it while others don't, then that's a personal issue with the one getting addicted.

that's generally the case with all kind of addictions, Some people get addicted while others don't and it's got to do with their genes, their personality and their environment. Some people can smoke crack once while others get addicted and ruin their entire lives because of it. When we look at these kind of things as a society we should not try to take it personal and figure that because we as individuals have no problems with such substances that therefore others should just toughen up; because this leads to nowhere. Instead we should look at the costs and benefits these kind of things bring. And generally speaking they're very expensive to our society even so that spending a lot of money on the treatment of addictions results in a huge monetary gain for society.

In this case we're dealing with people who are trying to make money by creating addictive produce, and you may or may not agree with it but you should at least recognize the potential damage these people cause to your society. I believe it would be very sensible to impose some kind of tax for these kind of products to outweigh these damages, It's okay if you want to make money by creating and selling produce that are addictive but not if it costs us non users money too.

Because it's not just the fat guy's premium that rises every year.

[Blobfish]

I used to get cravings for Big Macs from McDonalds

Now I get cravings for KFC .

So yeah, some foods are addictive.

But I don't get these cravings all the time. Maybe once a week or fortnight.

[zenkai]

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry...b05072e8b56877

Do you find this concerning? Why do you think most people don't seem to care?

Considering how much I see "moderation" and "willpower" used I assume most people don't believe ingested substances can be addictive as long as they're labeled as a food.

Sugar and Caffeine are use in excessive for addiction, so yes.

[Polyxo]

There's a very good book here, Salt Sugar Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us. They literally did engineer food to be addictive. One example is finding the optimum "crunch" for a chip. Another is the "disappearing calorie" such as when Cheetos dissolve in your mouth. And more.

They engineer food to be most satisfying and enjoyable. They don't introduce a chemical that specifically artificially alters brain chemistry.

[belfpala]

They engineer food to be most satisfying and enjoyable. They don't introduce a chemical that specifically artificially alters brain chemistry.

There are significant links between diet and neurotransmitters, especially serotonin. So, yes, in a way food is a drug that alters your brain chemistry.

[Iamanerd]

About 8 months ago I quit drinking any soda/fruity drinks like powerade etc completely, went through withdrawal effects for a good 2 weeks. The cravings where horrible for a month, I decided to quit because I was overweight and it mostly stemmed from my drinking habbit's. I refuse to drink anything other than water from here on out as I was hooked on soda/powerade since I was in high school.

[Powerogue]

I ate most of those cereals as a kid. I'm not fat nor still addicted to them.

Though holy crap Thin Mint cereal, are you for real? Blech, mint milk.

[Khaza-R]

The premise of flavor combinations being “addictive” is ridiculous.

I think mixing chocolate and peanut butter together is fucking delicious. Doesn’t mean it’s addictive in any sensible way.

[Hugnomo]

Do people seriously think that there aren't addictive components in food? The food industry is exactly that, an industry, an enormous one at that. Of course they're going to do everything within their reach to get maximum profit. If there's any way to make people buy more of your product, it's logical and lucrative to do so.
It should be our job to regulate how far they can go. I'm not from the US (though it probably isn't much different here) but companies like Monsanto and others are so big and so influential that their lobby campaigns can even keep americans from introducing gmo labels in food, so I don't think there's much hope that americans would be able to further regulate these addictive components.
If we are not powerful enough to change the system, we need to be smart consumers. Research what you are buying so you can and make an educated purchase.

[Polyxo]

There are significant links between diet and neurotransmitters, especially serotonin. So, yes, in a way food is a drug that alters your brain chemistry.

In a definition that broad, anything you need to do that you're hardwired to enjoy is a drug.

[belfpala]

In a definition that broad, anything you need to do that you're hardwired to enjoy is a drug.

Almost all activities modify the neurotransmitters in our brains, so yes, even sleep is a drug. If something is modifying your Serotonin, Dopamine, GABA and Norepinephrine, then it's modifying your brain.

You seem to be missing the broader point. See the book I linked earlier in this thread. Millions of dollars have been spent trying to get the maximum response from your brain due to the crunch of a chip. That's engineered brain hacking, and it's been going on since at least the 80's.

[Polyxo]

Almost all activities modify the neurotransmitters in our brains, so yes, even sleep is a drug. If something is modifying your Serotonin, Dopamine, GABA and Norepinephrine, then it's modifying your brain.

You seem to be missing the broader point. See the book I linked earlier in this thread. Millions of dollars have been spent trying to get the maximum response from your brain due to the crunch of a chip. That's engineered brain hacking, and it's been going on since at least the 80's.

The book is moronic, superstitious, and ignores actual, peer-reviewed studies of nutrition. Food doesn't modify the behavior of neurotransmitters. That's your brain operating the way it's supposed to.

[PosPosPos]

The book is moronic, superstitious, and ignores actual, peer-reviewed studies of nutrition. Food doesn't modify the behavior of neurotransmitters. That's your brain operating the way it's supposed to.

The book is right, you are just twisting "modifying the amount of neurotransmitters" to "modifying the behavior of neurotransmitters".

The problem is not the book, but you as the reader for lacking basic comprehension.

[Polyxo]

The book is right, you are just twisting "modifying the amount of neurotransmitters" to "modifying the behavior of neurotransmitters".

The problem is not the book, but you as the reader for lacking basic comprehension.

The book is wrong. The book makes baseless assertions that fly in the face of thousands of published papers, written by actual experts conducting actual research.

I mean, are you actually stupid enough to compare your brain rewarding you for acquiring nutrients with dopamine blockers like coke? What's next, vaccine opposition?

[Polyxo]

I think that is a shit attitude to have with this, tbh.

Yes, on some level you are right that people are responsible for their own choices, but people also heavily underestimate how insidious and effective addiction techniques can be nowadays. Corporations don't pour trillions of dollars into advertising every year just for funsies, they only do it because it creates profit and influences people towards buying more than they otherwise would, including all the insidious techniques that are applied to that end nowadays.

It's neither. People with dietary problems aren't weak-willed assholes who can't control themselves. And companies that make tasty food aren't evil moustache twirlers out to ruin peoples' lives for a higher profit margin.

[Acidbaron]

It's neither. People with dietary problems aren't weak-willed assholes who can't control themselves. And companies that make tasty food aren't evil moustache twirlers out to ruin peoples' lives for a higher profit margin.

But they also care little of the quality of the food, hence adding quite a bit of sugars, fats and salts to reduce the price of production. In any case best advice remains. Eat whatever you want how much you want just make/cook it all your self.

[Doctor Amadeus]

Yes, and it's reinforced by subtle programming, for either it or some kind of drug or anything else to distract most wayward minds.