Junk foods as addictive as hard drugs

• Cakes, chocolates, chips, bickies, burgers and other tasty fast-food snack choices have been found to have the same reaction on the brain as illicit drugs, the Daily Telegraph reported.
  Most of us put our unhealthy food choices down to emotional eating, but a recent study in the US suggests the high amounts of sugar in these foods flick a switch in our brains and keep us wanting more and more. This starts a chain reaction with a similar addictive effect as drugs, such as cocaine and heroin.
  Dr Paul Kenny, a neuroscientist from the US tested the brain's reaction to high-sugar foods. "You lose control," Dr Kenny told the Daily Telegraph. "It's the hallmark of addiction."
  Three groups of rats were tested in the study, with one group fed with healthy foods and another with a mix of healthy and junk foods. A third group of rats was fed an unlimited amount of junk food, stacked full of sugar, including cheesecake, fatty meat products,and cheap sponge cakes and chocolate snacks.
  Research found the group that gorged as much junk food as they wanted rapidly became overweight and began binge eating.
  "This is the most complete evidence to date that suggests obesity and drug addiction have common neurobiological foundations," said Paul Johnson, Dr Kenny's colleague.