Fatty foods have drug-like effect

American researchers have discovered there’s a reason why you can’t just eat one potato chip.

A recent study published online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, noted that fatty foods increase the production of natural marijuana-like chemicals in the body called endocannabinoids.

In their study, University of California researchers discovered that when rats tasted something fatty, cells in their upper gut started producing endocannabinoids.

The fats in these foods make them nearly irresistible and trigger a surprising biological mechanism that likely drives our gluttonous behavior. Interestingly, protein and sweet foods do not have this effect.

Researcher Daniele Piomelli said that from an evolutionary standpoint, there’s a compelling need for animals to consume fats, which are scarce in nature but crucial for proper cell functioning. In contemporary human society, however, fats are readily available, and the innate drive to eat fatty foods leads to obesity, diabetes and cancer.

The findings suggest it might be possible to curb this tendency by obstructing endocannabinoid activity – for example, by using drugs that ‘clog’ cannabinoid receptors.