In the Neuroscience section of ScienceNews magaizine an article was printed about the effects of junk food on the brain and body. In an experiment executed at Scripps Research Institute's Florida facility, researchers found that junk food causes addictive behavior similar to heroine in rats. The study suggests that there is a direct neurobiological link between obesity and drug addiction. The experiment used control rats that were fed a standard diet and the rats that were fed unlimited amounts of junk food. Those that were fed the junk food developed uncontrollable eating habits and became obese. Later when the researchers tested the pleasure centers of the brain using electrical stimulation concluded that the rats that ate more junk food needed more stimulation to feel good, and even after the experiment ended the rats continued to look for ways to find the same amount of pleasure they got from the food. "This is the hallmark of addiction" (Kenny 8). This experiment used hypothesis-based science because it had a hypothesis and it experimented with controls and differentials to determine a conclusion. This experiment is significant to human knowledge because it helps identify the links between our eating habits and drug use.
Author: Laura Sanders
Page: 8
Title: Junk food turns rats into addicts
Date: November 21, 2009
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