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An alarming new study in the United States has revealed that at least one in five women from Generation X—those born between 1965 and 1980—exhibit signs of addiction to ultra-processed foods.
This finding is particularly concerning to researchers who believe it heralds a potentially worse future for American youth, who have consumed significantly higher quantities of these products throughout their lives.
Gen X is the first generation to have grown up surrounded by ultra-processed foods, from packaged meats to brightly coloured cereals.
Today, these products, high in fat, sugar, and salt, account for 73% of the country’s food supply and contribute to rising obesity rates, increasing the risk of heart disease, cancer, and premature death.
Dr.
Ashley Gearhardt, a professor of psychology at Michigan Medicine, explained that if current trends persist, ‘future generations may show even higher rates of ultra-processed food addiction later in life.’ The study, which surveyed over 2,000 Gen Xers about cravings and withdrawal symptoms, found that 20% of women and 10% of men in this age group showed signs of addiction, a greater gender disparity than is seen in substance abuse.
In contrast, only 12% of Baby Boomer women and 4% of men showed similar signs.
Researchers suggest aggressive marketing of diet foods like low-fat cookies and microwaveable meals to women in the 1980s may have reinforced addictive eating patterns.
Dr.
Gearhardt noted that ingredients like sugar and added fats activate the brain similarly to nicotine and alcohol, and people with this food addiction were far more likely to report being overweight or in poor mental or physical health.