Connecticut College researchers have found that Oreos may be just as addictive as cocaine or morphine.

The researchers found that rats developed an equally powerful association between the delightful effects of consuming Oreos and a specific environment as they did between cocaine or morphine and a specific environment.

“Our research supports the theory that high-fat/ high-sugar foods stimulate the brain in the same way that drugs do,” said Joseph Schroeder, associate professor of psychology and director of the behavioral neuroscience program. “It may explain why some people can’t resist these foods despite the fact that they know they are bad for them.”

The researchers conducted this study due to a concern that products containing high quantities of fat and sugar are “heavily marketed in communities with lower socioeconomic statuses,” according to Jamie Honohan, a student in the college’s Holleran Center for Community Action and Public Policy.

The researchers fed rats Oreos on one side of a maze and on the other side, they fed them rice cakes. Then, they let the rats decide which side of the maze they wanted to spend their time and determined how long they spent on the side where they were give “America’s favorite cookie.”

They compared the results from the Oreo and rice cake experiment with the results from rats that were given cocaine or morphine on one side of the maze and saline on the other side. The results revealed that the rats conditioned with Oreos spent as much time on the “drug” side of the maze as the rats conditioned with cocaine or morphine.

Using immunohistochemistry, they also discovered that Oreos activated significantly more neurons than cocaine or morphine in the brain’s “pleasure center.”

“This correlated well with our behavioral results and lends support to the hypothesis that high-fat/ high-sugar foods are addictive,” Schroeder posited.

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