Why are people obsessed with junk food?
People overeat and become overweight for a variety of reasons. The fact that tasty, high-calorie foods are available almost anywhere, anytime, doesn’t help. Recently, researchers at the Buck Institute for Research on Aging determined for the first time why certain chemicals in cooked or processed foods, known as advanced glycation end products (AGEs), increase hunger and seriously challenge people’s fixation on these foods.
What are AGEs?
AGEs are metabolic byproducts that occur when sugar binds to a protein, lipid, or part of a nucleic acid. Produced by the famous Melad reaction in the food world, where glycoproteins and heat cause them to brown.
Generally speaking, food that has been cooked, baked, or fried looks delicious, and this is due to the fact that after cooking, baking, or frying, a class of brown compounds, known as AGEs, are produced by the Meladic pronouncement.
Many of today’s junk and processed foods have AGEs.
Although the Merad reaction is known for its ability to make food delicious, the resulting chemicals can wreak all kinds of havoc on the body. They cause inflammation and oxidative damage, leading to hardening of the blood vessels, high blood pressure, kidney disease, cancer, and neurological problems.
Not only that, but once AGEs are formed, they cannot be easily detoxified. Instead, the body’s ability to remove AGEs gradually decreases with age. So this provides yet another example of the age-related nature of the diseases mentioned above.
And in order to understand the specific effects of AGEs, the researchers specifically used worms, an animal that has a relatively short life cycle, to conduct the tests so that the effects behind them could be more clearly observed.
In the tests, the researchers found that the chemicals, in addition to causing disease and shortening life expectancy, also increased the worms’ appetite for the same substances.
Why do AGEs whet the appetite?
To understand why worms’ appetites are whetted by AGEs, the researchers purified some well-studied AGEs and found that two of them increased feeding. They further studied one of the compounds to figure out the signaling mechanism.
They showed that food intake was passively increased in mice in the presence of the glod-4 mutation, a mechanism mediated by a specific MG-H1 AGE (methylglyoxal-derived hydroimidazolone-1, a class of AGEs). Further analysis revealed that the GATA transcription factor ELT3 mediates the MG-H1 AGE through a tyramine-dependent pathway to achieve this goal.
This work identifies, for the first time, signaling pathways mediated by specific AGE molecules that enhance feeding and neurodegeneration. They also found that mutant worms that are unable to process naturally produced AGEs have lifespans that are approximately 25–30% shorter. And the work is now being extended to rats, where the researchers want to study the link between AGEs and fat metabolism.
Some simple things anyone can do to lighten the burden of AGEs in the body include eating whole grains (fiber helps keep glucose levels stable), cooking with moist heat rather than drying (i.e., steaming rather than sautéing or baking), and adding acids to foods as they are cooked to slow down the reactions that lead to the formation of AGEs.
Acknowledgement: Creative Biolabs
People are obsessed with junk food for several reasons, many of which are tied to biology, psychology, and marketing strategies. Here’s why:
1. Biological Cravings
Junk food is designed to be high in sugar, salt, and fat, which triggers the brain’s reward system. These ingredients activate dopamine, the “feel-good” neurotransmitter, making junk food highly addictive. Our ancestors craved high-energy foods for survival, and modern junk food hijacks that instinct.
2. Convenience & Availability
Junk food is cheap, accessible, and easy to eat on the go. With busy lifestyles, people often opt for fast, processed foods instead of cooking meals from scratch.
3. Marketing & Branding
Companies spend billions on advertising, using bright packaging, catchy slogans, and celebrity endorsements to create emotional connections with their products. They also use psychological triggers like nostalgia and social proof to make junk food more appealing.
4. Taste & Sensory Pleasure
Junk food is engineered for maximum pleasure. The crunch of chips, the melt-in-your-mouth texture of chocolate, and the umami taste of burgers are all carefully designed to keep you coming back for more.
5. Emotional Eating & Stress
People often turn to junk food for comfort during stress, sadness, or boredom. The quick energy boost from sugar and carbs can temporarily improve mood, making junk food a go-to emotional crutch.
6. Food Science & Addictive Formulas
Many processed foods are scientifically designed to have the perfect combination of flavors, textures, and chemicals that keep you wanting more. This includes the “bliss point”—a balance of sugar, salt, and fat that makes food irresistible.
7. Social & Cultural Influence
Junk food is often associated with celebrations, childhood memories, and social gatherings. Pizza at parties, popcorn at movies, and ice cream on hot days create positive emotional ties that keep people craving these foods.
8. Lack of Nutrition Education
Many people aren’t fully aware of how processed foods impact their health or how addictive they can be. Misleading labels, hidden sugars, and lack of nutritional awareness make junk food seem like a harmless indulgence.
9. Fast Energy Fix
Junk food provides an instant energy boost, which is especially appealing when people are tired or low on energy. However, the crash that follows often leads to more cravings, creating a cycle of dependency.
10. Food Habits & Addiction
The more someone eats junk food, the more they crave it. Over time, taste buds adapt, making healthier foods seem bland in comparison. This makes breaking the habit even harder.
