Why processed foods can be so addictive

Ultra-processed foods are made to maximize cravings and encourage overeating

Often disguised as healthy options like granola bars and low-fat yogurt, these foods silently fuel chronic diseases, despite dominating diets. Reviewing labels for ingredients like stabilizers and emulsifiers can serve as indicators to help identify these products.

It seems like we shouldn’t have to say this: Cheese is not like crack

While news reports may claim cheese is addictive, the facts behind the research show cheese and crack have little in common. It appears that highly processed foods with high levels of sugars and fat, rather than cheese specifically, are most closely associated with addictive-like behaviors. In fact, cheese ranked lower than foods like pizza, chocolate, and fries in terms of its addictiveness.

The dark side of modern sugar production

Humanity's ancestors evolved to wring more calories from sugary fruits by storing excess sugar as fat, an adaption that's culminated in many peoples' palettes preferring calorie-rich sweet. Now, the desire for sugar has both contributed to a widespread health crisis and been at the center of atrocities around the world.

World War II helped convince food companies to produce more processed foods

Processed foods had existed since the 19th century, but they began infiltrating the mainstream during World War II, with foods designed to last on the battlefield for days. After the war, food companies saw great potential in the relatively cheap foods aimed at busy households. (Some readers may experience a paywall.)

Learn about the neuroscience and psychology of why we crave comfort foods

The term was coined in 1966, when psychologist Joyce Brothers suggested humans turn to food associated with the feelings of comfort from their childhoods when experiencing emotional distress. Since then, studies have shown that the familiarity, reliability, and convenience of certain foods from one's upbringing can become tied to feelings of nostalgia.

The five most common chemicals found in modern food

Most modern processed foods rely on a number of preservatives to stay fresh from production to our plates. The most common include citric acid (preservative and flavor), sodium benzoate (preservative), xanthan gum (thickening and stabilizing), carrageenan (thickening), and red dyes 3 and 4 (for color).

The lack of guidance on getting off GLP-1s leaves patients at risk

Dr. David Kessler, former FDA Commissioner and public health leader, explores how these drugs override the brain’s reward-driven eating habits but have notable side effects. These include developing eating disorders, muscle loss, and intestinal obstruction.

The science of food allergies

Why do certain substances trigger an immune response while others don't? Listen to researchers explain the science in this five-minute video. Food allergies affect around 8% of children and 2% of adults in the US, and—unlike sensitivity or intolerance—they involve the immune system mistaking certain harmless proteins in foods as dangerous invaders, triggering a rapid and sometimes severe defense response.

Can the gut microbiome drive addiction?

New research suggests an imbalance of gut microorganisms may influence the likelihood of addiction and addictive behaviors by increasing the severity of withdrawal symptoms, triggering brain inflammation in regions of impulse control, and more.

Critics argue social media made 'foodie' culture increasingly superficial

For 40 years, being a "foodie" meant possessing knowledge and expertise about ingredients, restaurants, and flavors. Now, the author argues, being a foodie has more to do with documenting aesthetically pleasing meals than critical consumption. She argues for increased attention toward the complex systems that bring food to our tables.

At the beginning of the 20th century, a group of young men ate standard American food—replete with food additives like borax and formaldehyde—as part of government research to better understand food safety.

How a single company hooked the world on herbicides

How harmful are today’s herbicides for us humans, and for the environments they’re seeping into? And do we really need weedkillers to feed the world?

Can we speed up our metabolisms?

Listen to this 31-minute podcast to better understand what science knows and doesn't know about metabolism, as well as the only thing that seems capable of changing it. Scientists understand that the difference between a so-called “fast” and “slow” metabolism does not affect one’s ability to lose weight.

Coffee is, indeed, addictive

Caffeine enters the brain through the bloodstream, where it blocks receptors that cause us to feel tired and enables stimulants like dopamine to increase alertness and focus. Over time, the brain begins to expect this level of stimulation, and caffeine addiction can develop. Caffeine withdrawal causes headaches, irritability, and fatigue.

How big brands keep your loyalty

We perceive ourselves as rational decision-makers—but research about our consumption habits suggest we are easily played by clever marketing. Here's how big brands design their branding to keep you coming back.

How the methods of catching fish for food affects their taste

Commercially caught fish are often killed through suffocation, allowing the causing the fish extreme stress and flooding their bodies with stress hormones and lactic acid. These chemicals cause the fish's flesh to become bitter where it was once rich and quickens the rotting process.

How humans digest food

Every day, the average human eats close to six pounds of food—all of which must be processed by the digestive system. Ten organs collaborate to transform food that the mouth chews into the energy needed to stay alive. (Stretched out, these organs...

Why Smartfood cheddar popcorn lost its flavor

A passionate fan of Smartfood's white cheddar popcorn investigates why the snack's flavor has diminished over the years. After consulting online forums, the author confirmed many fans noticed the shift. The inquiry revealed a major change to the ingredient list between 2019 and 2021, where cheddar cheese was downgraded and "natural flavors" upgraded—likely due to regulations around sodium use in snacks. Read for a fascinating overview of snack formulas, corporate marketing, and more.

Why kids are picky eaters

Parents who are stressed about their child repeatedly refusing vegetables: It may not be your fault. Rather than being a result of nurture, it appears that nature decides whether a kid is more adventurous with their appetite. Researchers tracked more than 2,400 sets of twins and found how genetics may actually be a major contributor to children's finicky eating habits.

'The opposite of addiction isn't sobriety—it's human connection'

This thought-provoking TED talk from journalist Johann Hari challenges conventional wisdom about addiction, with a special focus on his global research investigating its root causes. Through personal stories and scientific evidence, Hari debunks some of the most common myths around addiction.

What makes food crispy, and how science can be used to maximize this property

The fracturing texture experienced when biting into vegetable tempura, fried chicken, pastry crusts, and other foods comes from having a dehydrated, porous surface. When frying food in hot oil, trapped water vaporizes and escapes, creating tunnels and pores in the food as it dehydrates. Breading, particularly with the large, irregular shapes of panko, and leaveners can help create more air spaces.

Microplastics are infiltrating the human body with unclear but concerning effects

Scientists have linked microplastics to immune system damage, hormone disruption, inflammatory diseases, and even cancer—yet most of their health impacts remain unknown due to limited research. Studies suggest we ingest about a credit card's worth of plastic weekly.

How grudges mostly hurt ourselves

Grudges feel like revenge against those who have done us some wrong and are very common. In this "Hidden Brain" podcast, psychologists explain how grudges end up only hurting us rather than those we hold them against. By using historical examples, the researchers show the counterintuitive danger of grudges and how people can learn how to avoid them.

How healthy is lab-grown meat?

While meat-less meat options like Beyond and Impossible burgers are known for being the environmentally-friendly alternative to real meat, it’s important to also consider their impact on human health. Health benefits of these meat alternatives...

Behind the scenes on tariff politics

Economist Gene Grossman joined the Trade Talks Podcast to discuss why tariffs really happen. The episode digs into how voters, politicians, lobbyists, and even campaign cash can affect when protectionist trade policies are put forward. Produced in 2019, the podcast also discusses how populist trade policies and identity politics accounted for Donald Trump’s victory in the 2016 Presidential election.

Listen to an in-depth conversation on the links between Parkinson's disease and herbicide exposure and the challenging pace of scientific investigation.

Why is fentanyl poisoning street drugs?

A few grains of fentanyl, a synthetic opioid far more potent than heroin or morphine, is enough to kill a typical adult human. It's made its way into other, less lethal street drugs, where it may be used to increase the highs experienced by unknowing users, increasing their likelihood of addiction and overdose. This 39-minute podcast episode is the first half of a two-part series exploring fentanyl's rise.

Telehealth demand for GLP-1s for weight loss is booming as consumers seek easier access.

Fear or disgust related to clusters of holes and cracks, called trypophobia, may stem from evolutionary processes to help us avoid pathogens.

An investigation suggests a Scottish island became awash in forever chemicals via seafoam and seaspray—raising questions about what that means for the safety of other coastal areas.

Hookworm infection, though risky, may help fight certain autoimmune conditions by tamping down the immune system's inflammatory response.

US consumers collectively owe more than $1T to credit card companies—almost as much as they owe in auto loans.

Fast-casual restaurant Chili's is experiencing a resurgence, with its parent company recently reporting a nearly 32% increase in sales, thanks to passionate Gen Z fans on TikTok.

Poison ivy is in the same family as mangoes, cashews, and pistachios—and they all produce oily urushiol in their raw, unprocessed state—but they are typically prepared in ways to avoid causing human discomfort.

Visualize how CRISPR-Cas9—a type of immune system used by single-celled organisms to attack invasive viruses—targets and makes precise changes to a gene's DNA.

A vending machine run with Anthropic's AI went out of business after it was convinced to give away items for free and sell a video game console.

Discover the catastrophic consequences of a failure of the US electrical grid—something that is more likely than many Americans think.

Radioactive elements can introduce software errors because the ionizing radiation they produce can detach electrons from atoms, and computer code relies on the distribution of electrons.

Up to a million Girl Scouts sell about 200 million cookie boxes every spring, generating $800 million, largely because refusing a child is frowned upon

Studies suggest when you sleep is as important as how much you get, and syncing with your circadian rhythms may lead to less fatigue and improved long-term health outcomes

Netflix profits when you're not watching, and its movies are designed that way—read a detail-rich critical essay exposing lesser-known Netflix takes

How fusion—which releases energy when two lighter atoms combine to form a heavier atom—differs from fission

Gerrymandering works through two techniques: cracking opposing voters across districts to dilute their power, and packing them into a few to waste their votes in lopsided majorities.

Explore an interactive map built from more than 100,000 survey responses on where people find joy in their lives

The American cockroach is actually from Africa, an apparent hitchhiker aboard ships carrying enslaved people, with evidence suggesting the bug may have arrived in the New World as early as the 1600s.

Massive 3D printers have been used to build homes by stacking layers of 'concrete toothpaste,' a fire-resistant material that effectively insulates against outside noise.

A Yale student wrote a profound essay about the consulting industry's influence on elite college students that was published in a book of her writing after she died in a post-graduation car accident.

Crows are believed to have intelligence on par with a seven-year-old child and demonstrate complex behaviors, from problem-solving with tools to recognizing human faces.

Hear 50 years of iconic hip-hop samples, the genre's foundational looped tracks

Hedge funds, the private investment firms that trade a wide swath of financial assets, make money by imposing steep fees on investors and from the fund's investment performance.