This is how the food industry has accused the tobacco industry of making us addicted to junk food

Research exposes strategies used to encourage people to eat processed foods

This is how the food industry copied the tobacco industry to keep us on junk food

The study reveals the tactics they use to encourage the population to eat ultra-processed foods

A study published last November in the prestigious journal The Lancet found that ultra-processed foods are responsible for increasing "the risk of many diet-related chronic diseases."The study highlights that many products, including cereals, sugary drinks, desserts, industrial breads and fish sticks, cause a myriad of illnesses, including overweight and obesity, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, dyslipidemia (high cholesterol), cardiovascular disease, brain disease, kidney disease, coronary heart disease, Crohn's disease and depression.Previously, in May 2024, another study by the less authoritative British Medical Journal went further, stating that misuse of these products increases the risk of death by 4%, and that rate rises to 9% when certain medical conditions are added.

Now, an analysis in which experts from Harvard University, Michigan and Duke have participated ensures that these pseudofoods should be considered the same as tobacco, because of the harmful effects and the techniques used to hook us."Cigarettes and ultra-processed cigarettes are not just natural products, but delivery systems that are specifically engineered to increase biological and psychological reinforcement and increase use. Both industries use similar strategies to increase product appeal, avoid regulation, and shape public perception."health," he said. He also highlighted that many tobacco companies - he mentioned RJ Reynolds and Philip Morris - acquired companies such as Kraft, General Foods and Nabisco and became major producers and marketers of ultra-processed products from the 1980s to the mid-2000s.

"This is a very interesting job. The job is the following products to change the emotions of hospitality and we are psychological psychologists."Sugaring Fats in the Detacy Prompts have a druug-like brain on the brain.

Enhancement ingredients and controlled doses

"Tobacco and UPF - the English acronym for ultra-processed food - have a common origin: both are natural substances that have little addictive potential in their unprocessed form. For centuries, tobacco leaves, corn, sugar cane, grains and oilseeds have played a role in human life without causing a public health crisis."“What makes these materials important risk factors is the way they are industrially redesigned to increase reinforcement, maximize wants and needs, improve access and maximize profits,” the researcher said.In other words, the problem is not with the basic raw materials, but with what the industry has done to “get us addicted.”

As for doses, the amount of tobacco in cigarettes is precisely designed to balance between the desire for reward (harm) and the prevention of aversion to harm.The same is done in food: "The abundance of refined carbohydrates and added fat seeks to increase the hedonic effect."

Administration speed

The main thing is that the faster the booster reaches the brain, the more dopamine - the pleasure hormone - increases and the more addictive the product becomes.In the case of nicotine, cigarettes are designed to reach the brain within seconds.Meanwhile, refined carbohydrates and added fats are quickly digested thanks to industrial processing, increasing the speed and efficiency of absorption.

The joy of engineering

Another feature that both products share is their temporary nature: they provide a quick satisfaction that disappears as quickly as it came, which makes the desire to smoke or eat something.To do this, they add flavorings, menthol and tobacco, and artificial sweeteners, emulsifiers and colors in processed foods.Texture is also important, because they are made to break or melt quickly, so they don't suffer for a long time, because it reduces the appetite.

"Through industrial processing and design, these products are optimized not only for sensory appeal, but also for consistency of use, ensuring that every use is familiar, satisfying and comforting," they say.for every bite is more useful.It also plays with the sound.It is no coincidence that the crunch of a potato chip, the fizz of a freshly opened soft drink or the crunch of a chocolate bar are part of the brand.

Washing pictures

The adjective "light" is common in both industries and is key to what researchers call "whitewashing designed to create the illusion of little harm while retaining basic addictive properties."In the case of tobacco, this tactic is an old one.In the early 1950s, filters were introduced to stop tar and other harmful substances from reaching the lungs.Many years later, "light" cigarettes appeared, and more recently, vaporizers.There will be "sugar-free" labels that will create the illusion for consumers that their consumption is safe.

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