These shorter strings are the “casein-derived, morphine-like compounds” called casomorphins, and can attach to the opiate receptors in your brain.
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Headlines are making the rounds on the Internet claiming that cheese is as addictive as drugs, and if you’re nodding your head in agreement, take comfort because a few research suggests it’s true.
The study was actually published in February, but hit mainstream news this week thanks to the outspoken president of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, Dr. Neal Barnard.
For the study, researchers investigated why certain foods are more addictive than others by examining the eating habits of 500 students, the L.A. Times reported.
Cheese is addictive because of an ingredient called casein, a protein found in all milk products.
Chocolate was the second most addictive food, followed by chips, cookies, ice cream, French fries, cheeseburger, sodas (not diet), cake and cheese. The study was, later on, recreated on an even larger group of participants, namely 384 subjects.
As per previous studies, casomorphins bind with opioid gates, which are associated with pain control addiction and reward mechanism in the brain. They said that the more processed and fatty the food was, the more it was associated with addictive eating behaviors.
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In Britain, 98 per cent of households buy cheese, with 700,000 tonnes consumed each year in restaurants, homes and food processing, the equivalent of around 10kg per person per year. Investigators have closely looked at the factors causing people to eat more dairy products. Because it can influence our dopamine receptors, investigators have labeled cheese as a “dairy crack”.
