Addictive Food

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Revealed - Food Companies

Knew Products Were Addictive

By Robert Matthews Science Correspondent

The Telegraph - UK

7-12-3

 

Multinational food companies have known for years of research that

suggests many of their products trigger chemical reactions in the brain

which lead people to overeat, The Telegraph can reveal.

 

Scientists working for Nestle and Unilever have been quietly investigating

how certain foods, such as chocolate biscuits, burgers and snacks, make

people binge-eat, thereby fuelling obesity. The companies insist that

there is no proof that the foods create bio-chemical reactions that make

people eat too much. They are not yet prepared to issue consumer warnings

or change the nature of the products.

 

However, scientists working for the industry have said manufacturers fear

they have created foods that undermine the body's abilities to control

intake and are battling to find a solution. " We have created a

bio-chemical monster, " one said.

 

The revelation will be seized on by those who allege that the food

industry has been reckless. More than 300 million people worldwide are now

deemed clinically obese, with an estimated 2.5 million dying each year as

a result of being overweight. In Britain, more than one in five adults is

obese - triple the figure of 20 years ago.

 

Earlier this year America's leading fast-food chains, including McDonald's

and Burger King, were warned of possible legal action from obese people

following research on mice and rats suggesting that fast food could

trigger overeating. It is now clear that the industry has known for years

of similar results from research on humans.

 

One scientist who acts as a consultant to food manufacturers said: " They

are aware that they have been too successful in creating food that some

people just can't say no to. It's an enormous problem. "

 

The overeating effect is thought to be triggered by opioids, chemicals

which produce a desire to eat more while reducing the " sated " feeling that

normally kills appetite.

 

Research being studied by the industry shows that although the effect is

only short-lived, it can have a dramatic effect on food intake. According

to a recent review of 20 years of research by scientists at the University

of Sussex, when release of opioids was blocked using drugs, intake among

human volunteers fell by 21 per cent. The effect was even larger among

obese people, whose intake fell by 33 per cent.

 

Further research also suggests that the opioids effect is strongest with

products that involve combinations of foods which are typically high in

fat and carbohydrates. These combinations are routinely used to boost the

so-called palatability of products, with chocolate being added to cereals

and biscuits, cheese added to savoury snacks, and buns with a high sugar

content being used for hamburgers and cheeseburgers.

 

The industry has long sought to drive up the palatability of its products.

Now, however, it is becoming clear that palatability reflects the effect

food has on the brain.

 

Dr Martin Yeomans, of the University of Sussex, a leading authority on

opioids, said: " I am confident that opioids play a role in food intake. "

 

Dr Yeomans will present the latest evidence linking palatability to

over-eating at a scientific meeting this week which is sponsored by

leading food companies, including Nestle, the world's largest, and

Unilever.

 

A spokesman for Nestle in Vevey, Switzerland, confirmed that the company

has been studying the role of palatability and opioids in food intake for

many years. He said: " We have projects currently running to investigate

this and other aspects of obesity and the company will make all necessary

changes when there is significant scientific evidence to support such

action. "

 

However, the company did not consider the evidence strong enough to

require action: " We have to be certain that there are no unexpected

negative aspects. " Unilever, which owns the Knorr, Birds Eye and Ragu

brands, is also investigating the links.

 

At this week's conference in Groningen, Holland, scientists will present

strategies for dealing with the issue, including greater consumer

education and labelling.

 

The findings about the effects of opioids were seized on yesterday by Prof

John Banzhaf of George Washington University, Washington DC, who played a

key role in the billion-dollar lawsuits against tobacco companies during

the 1990s.

 

During the 1990s, evidence emerged that the industry had manipulated

cigarettes' content to enhance their addictive nature. In 1998, the

industry reached a settlement with 46 American state governments totalling

$206 billion.

 

Prof Banzhaf described the food industry's knowledge of possible links

between high-calorie food and over-eating by humans as " astounding " . " This

would seem to constitute failure to disclose a material fact - information

that might sway the decision of consumers, had they known about it, " he

said.

 

While there is no suggestion that the food industry knowingly manipulates

its products to boost over-consumption, Prof Banzhaf said there were

parallels with the case against the tobacco industry. " They said smokers

smoke for the taste, and it had nothing to do with the brain. It sounds to

me that we have something very similar here. "

 

© Copyright of Telegraph Group Limited 2003.

 

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