Ultra-processed food addiction is surging among middle-aged adults, raising alarms for the next generation.
Michigan Medicine - University of Michigan
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They were the first generation of Americans to grow up with
ultra-processed foods all around them - products typically loaded with extra
fat, salt, sugar and flavorings. They were children and young adults at a time
when such products, designed to maximize their appeal, proliferated.
Now, a study shows, 21% of women and 10% of men in
Generation X and the tail end of the Baby Boom generation, now in their 50s and
early 60s, meet criteria for addiction to these ultra-processed foods.
That rate is far higher than it is among adults who grew up
just a decade or two earlier, and only encountered ultra-processed foods in
adulthood. Among adults age 65 to 80, just 12% of women and 4% of men meet
criteria for ultra-processed food addiction.
The study, published in the journal Addiction by
a team from the University of Michigan, is based on nationally representative
data from more than 2,000 older Americans surveyed by the U-M National Poll on
Healthy Aging.
The poll is based at the U-M Institute for Healthcare Policy
and Innovation and supported by Michigan Medicine, U-M's academic medical
center. The new paper builds on a previous poll report by diving deeper into
generational differences and correlations with health.
Measuring food addiction in an under-studied group
The researchers used the modified Yale Food Addiction Scale
2.0 (mYFAS 2.0), a standardized tool adapted from the criteria used to diagnose
substance use disorders. The scale asks about 13 experiences with
ultraprocessed foods and drinks that define addiction, such as strong cravings,
repeated unsuccessful attempts to cut down, withdrawal symptoms, and avoiding
social activities because of fear of overeating.
In this case, the "substance" is not alcohol or
nicotine, but highly rewarding ultra-processed foods such as sweets, fast food,
and sugary beverages. By applying clinical addiction criteria to
ultra-processed foods, the study highlights the ways in which such foods can
"hook" people.
"We hope this study fills a gap in knowledge about
addiction to ultra-processed foods among older adults, as measured by a
well-studied and standardized scale," said Lucy K. Loch, a graduate
student in the U-M Department of Psychology. "Today's older adults were in
a key developmental period when our nation's food environment changed. With
other research showing clear links between consumption of these foods and risk
of chronic disease and premature death, it's important to study addiction to
ultra-processed foods in this age group."
Differences by gender
Unlike traditional substance use disorders -- which
historically have been more common in older men -- ultra-processed food
addiction shows the opposite pattern: higher prevalence in older women.
One explanation may be the aggressive marketing of
"diet" ultra-processed food to women in the 1980s.
Low-fat cookies, microwaveable meals, and other
carbohydrate-heavy products were promoted as weight-control solutions, but
their engineered nutrient profiles may have reinforced addictive eating
patterns.
Women now aged 50 to 64 may have been exposed to
ultraprocessed foods during a sensitive developmental window, which may help
explain the poll's findings for this age group, said senior author Ashley
Gearhardt, Ph.D., a professor of psychology at U-M and member of IHPI.
Gearhardt leads the U-M Food and Addiction Science & Treatment Lab.
"The percentages we see in these data far outpace the
percentages of older adults with problematic use of other addictive substances,
such as alcohol and tobacco," said Gearhardt. "We also see a clear
association with health and social isolation, with much higher risks of
ultra-processed food addiction in those who call their mental or physical
health status fair or poor, or say they sometimes or often feel isolated from
others."
Key findings related to overweight, health status and
social isolation
- Overweight
self-perception:
- Women
aged 50 to 80 who said they are overweight were more than 11 times as
likely to meet criteria for ultra-processed food addiction than women who
say their weight is about right. Men who reported being overweight were
19 times as likely.
- No
matter what their age, 33% of women who described themselves as
overweight, 13% of women who described themselves as slightly overweight
and 17% of men who described themselves as overweight met criteria for
addiction to ultra-processed foods. Of the total sample, 31% of women and
26% of men in the sample said they were overweight and 40% of women and
39% of men said they were slightly overweight.
- Health
status:
- Men
reporting fair or poor mental health were four times as likely to meet
criteria for ultra-processed food addiction; women were nearly three
times as likely.
- For
physical health, men reporting fair or poor health were three times as
likely to meet criteria for ultra-processed food addiction, and women
were nearly two times as likely.
- Social
isolation: Men and women who reported feeling isolated some of
the time or often were more than three times as likely to meet criteria
for ultra-processed food addiction as those who did not report isolation.
The researchers suggest that individuals who perceive
themselves as overweight may be particularly vulnerable to
"health-washed" ultra-processed foods - those marketed as low-fat,
low-calorie, high-protein or high-fiber, but still formulated to amplify their
appeal and maximize craving.
"These products are sold as health foods - which can be
especially problematic for those trying to reduce the number of calories they
consume," Gearhardt said. "This especially affects women, because of
the societal pressure around weight."
Looking Ahead
The generation of older adults now in their 50s and early
60s is the first to live most of their lifespan in a food environment dominated
by ultra-processed foods, Geahardt noted.
"These findings raise urgent questions about whether
there are critical developmental windows when exposure to ultra-processed foods
is especially risky for addiction vulnerability," she said. "Children
and adolescents today consume even higher proportions of calories from
ultra-processed foods than today's middle-aged adults did in their youth. If
current trends continue, future generations may show even higher rates of
ultra-processed food addiction later in life."
She added, "Just as with other substances, intervening
early may be essential to reducing long-term addiction risk across the
lifespan."
About the study
The study was funded by a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program (DGE-2241144) and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health (5R01DA055027).
