Junk food turns rats into addicts

A study about the addictive qualities of junk food found the affect it has on the the brain is similar to that of heroine.

I knew it! It's not MY fault - blame the chips!

After just five days on the junk food diet, rats showed “profound reductions” in the sensitivity of their brains’ pleasure centers, suggesting that the animals quickly became habituated to the food. As a result, the rats ate more food to get the same amount of pleasure. Just as heroin addicts require more and more of the drug to feel good, rats needed more and more of the junk food. “They lose control,” Kenny says. “This is the hallmark of addiction.”