Foods syrup has effect similar to cocaine use

A SYRUP widely used in processed foods such as biscuits 
can cause behavioural changes similar to the effects of cocaine, according to new research.
By The Newsroom
Published 23rd May 2013, 02:48 BST

High-fructose corn syrup (HFCS), used as a sweetener and to improve the appearance of food after baking, was tested by a scientist investigating “food 
addiction”.

The substance, which has previously been linked to rising rates of type-2 diabetes, was found to induce behavioural changes similar to the class-A drug in tests on laboratory rats.

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Professor Francesco Leri, who carried out the research, said it suggested there was an addictive quality to foods that are high in sugar which could explain, at least partly, the current global obesity epidemic.

“We have evidence in laboratory animals of a shared vulnerability to develop preferences for sweet foods and for cocaine,” he said.

He added: “We are not rats, but our children do not think too much about the impact 
of sweets on their brain and 
behaviour.

“There is now convincing neurobiological and behavioural evidence indicating that addiction to food is possible.”