KUWAIT CITY, Oct 2: A new study reveals that ultra-processed foods could be causing addiction-like behaviors in older adults, particularly those now in their 50s and early 60s who grew up amid a surge of sugary cereals, frozen dinners, and artificially flavored snacks.

Researchers from the University of Michigan found that 21 percent of women and 10 percent of men aged 50 to 64 meet clinical criteria for addiction to ultra-processed foods, a rate significantly higher than among adults aged 65 to 80. The findings come from the National Poll on Healthy Aging, using the Modified Yale Food Addiction Scale 2.0, which applies drug and alcohol addiction diagnostic criteria to food cravings, withdrawal symptoms, failed attempts to reduce intake, and social avoidance due to eating habits.

This generation experienced a major shift in food availability during their formative years, with fast food chains booming and grocery stores stocked with highly processed “diet” foods marketed as healthy but loaded with carbohydrates and artificial ingredients. Lucy Loch, a University of Michigan psychology graduate student, emphasized the importance of studying addiction in this age group due to links between processed food consumption and chronic disease risks.

Contrary to trends in alcohol or nicotine addiction, women in their 50s and early 60s are more likely than men to show signs of ultra-processed food addiction, possibly due to targeted marketing of “light” and “low-fat” products toward women in the 1980s and 1990s.

Ashley Gearhardt, a psychology professor and senior author of the study, pointed out that food addiction rates in older adults surpass problematic use rates of alcohol and tobacco. She also highlighted strong associations between food addiction and poor mental or physical health, as well as social isolation.

Self-image plays a major role: women who consider themselves higher weight are over 11 times more likely to meet food addiction criteria, while men in the same category are 19 times more likely. Mental health challenges and feelings of social isolation further increase addiction risks.

Many individuals seeking weight control choose ultra-processed “health” foods marketed as low-calorie or high-protein, but these products can encourage overconsumption, exacerbating addiction risks—especially for women facing societal weight pressures.

The study raises urgent questions about whether exposure to ultra-processed foods during key developmental periods increases vulnerability to addiction. With younger generations consuming even more processed foods than Generation X, addiction rates could rise further without early intervention.

Gearhardt warns, “Just as with other substances, intervening early may be essential to reducing long-term addiction risk across the lifespan.”

This research highlights broader concerns about a food system prioritizing speed, profit, and shelf life, revealing how the boundary between habit and addiction to processed foods may be thinner than previously understood.