Orea Cookies More Addictive Than You Think, New Study Sows

According to a new study from Connecticut College, Oreo cookies can be as addicting as cocaine.
“Our research supports the theory that high-fat/high-sugar foods stimulate the brain in the same way that drugs do,” said Joseph Schroeder, associate professor of Neuroscience at Connecticut College.
To test the addictive powers of Oreos, the rats were run through a maze.  One group of rats were injected with cocaine or morphine and the other was given a shot of saline.  One end of the maze offered Oreos and the other rice cakes.  The rats spent just as much extra time hanging out on the Oreo side of the maze as the other mice did on the cocaine side.
“It basically tells us how many cells were turned on in a specific region of the brain in response to the drugs or Oreos,” said Schroeder.  They found that the Oreos activated significantly more neurons than cocaine or morphine.
Neuroscience major Jamie Honoham as the college explained, “even though we associate significant health hazards in taking drugs like cocaine and morphine, high-fat/ high-sugar foods may present even more of a danger because of their accessibility and affordability.”