Oreos No Less Than Cocaine: Research
Oreos are no less than cocaine in terms of addiction, according to a Buzz: 60 video.
A recent study performed with lab-rats at Connecticut College shows that hungry rats preferred rice cakes or Oreos. This, however, is not a surprising revelation since human beings are also inclined to the creamy filling of Oreos, the video says. The rats, on the other hand, were put to another test.
This time, some rats were injected with cocaine, while some others with saline. It was found by the researchers that Oreos activated more neurons in the pleasure centre of the brain than cocaine. On the other hand, when the rats were allowed to move freely, they spent equal time with both Oreos and cocaine.
The drugs which were used during the research were morphine and cocaine. The research is based on the theory that foods which are rich in high sugar or high fat stimulate exactly the way drugs do it. It also tries to prove why people fail to control their craving for high sugar/fat foods such as ice cream, pastries and chocolates even though they know that, if not taken on a moderate manner, they can be harmful to their body. It is just the same for drugs. People get addicted to it even if they know that those are harmful to their body.
Neuroscientist Jamie Honohan has also said that high sugar/fat food may pose graver danger to human bodies since they are much more widely available. They are way more affordable and accessible than drugs. It has been told that Oreos got selected as a part of the research neither because of its high popularity in the U.S. nor because they are "highly palatable" for rats. It was selected because it belongs to the list of those foods which contain high level of sugar and fat. They are also heavily marketed among communities with lower income group.
It will be interesting to see how Oreos reacts to the findings of the research.
Video courtesy: YouTube/Buzz60