A new poll says many of us are hooked on junk food.
In fact, 13% of Americans age 50 to 80 -- roughly 1 in 8 -- show signs of addiction to junk food, according to data from the University of Michigan's National Poll on Healthy Aging.
The percentage is much higher among women than men -- especially women in their 50s and early 60s, the poll shows. It was also higher in older adults who say they are overweight, lonely, or in fair or poor physical or mental health.
The most commonly reported symptom of a junk food addiction was intense cravings. The poll showed almost 1 in 4 (24%) said that at least once a week they had such a strong urge to eat highly processed food -- such as sweets, salty snacks, sugary drinks and fast food -- that they couldn't think of anything else.
Another 19% said that at least two to three times a week they had tried and failed to cut down on or stop eating these kinds of foods, while 12% said their eating behavior caused them a lot of distress two to three times a week or more, poll data shows.
Stephanie Schiff, a registered dietitian at Huntington Hospital, explained how a junk food addiction can take hold.
"First of all it's the taste. A lot of junk foods are a combination of sweet, salty and fatty, and that's very craveable for people," Schiff told 1010 WINS Newsline with Brigitte Quinn. "Junk food is also, it's very cheap, it's very accessible, it's so easy to get. So, if you do have a little bit of a craving, you know where to find it."
There's also a psychological factor.
"The more you eat, our bodies release hormones like dopamine and serotonin when you eat something that's pleasurable, like something that's sugar sweet or salty," Schiff said. "And then you get addicted that that feeling, that little bit of a high, so you want to just keep going back to it."
Researchers used a set of 13 questions to measure whether, and how often, an individual experienced the core indicators of addiction in their relationship with highly processed foods. These addiction indicators include intense cravings, an inability to cut down on intake and signs of withdrawal, according to the poll.
The poll notes that in order to meet the criteria for an addiction to junk food, individuals had to report experiencing at least two of 11 symptoms of addiction, as well as report significant eating-related distress or life problems multiple times a week -- the same criteria used to diagnose addiction-related problems with alcohol, tobacco and other addictive substances.
The results show nearly half of older adults (44%) indicated at least one symptom of addiction to highly processed food.
"This poll found that more than one in ten older adults met established criteria for an addiction to highly processed food," researchers noted. "This is similar to, or may even surpass, the prevalence of addiction to other legal and easily accessible addictive substances, such as tobacco (10%) and alcohol (4%)."
The poll showed that addiction to highly processed foods was seen in:
• 17% of adults aged 50 to 64 and 8% of adults aged 65 to 80
• 22% of women aged 50 to 64 and 18% of women aged 50 to 80
• 32% of women who say their physical health is fair or poor and 14% of men who say the same—more than twice as high as the percentages among those who say their physical health is excellent, very good or good
• 45% of women who say their mental health is fair or poor and 23% of men who say the same—three times as high as the percentages among those who say their mental health is excellent, very good or good
• 17% of men who self-report they are overweight, compared with 1% of men who indicate they’re around the right weight
• 34% of women who self-report they are overweight, compared with 4% who indicate they’re around the right weight
• 51% of women who say they often feel isolated from others and 26% of men who say the same, compared with 8% of women and 4% of men who say they rarely feel isolated
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