Junk-food lovers who try to cut back on fries or chocolate may experience symptoms similar to drug withdrawal, a new study suggests.
Researchers found that people attempting to cut down on eating highly processed foods experience some of the same (26)____ and psychological symptoms—such as mood swings, anxiety, headaches and poor sleep—as those (27)____ smoking cigarettes or using drugs, according to the study.
The new study (28)____ the first evidence that these withdrawal-like symptoms can occur when people cut down on highly processed foods, said lead study author Erica Schulte.
Based on the participants' self-reported symptoms, withdrawal symptoms were (29)____ more intense between the second and fifth days after attempting to reduce junk-food consumption, which(30)____ the time span people live through during drug withdrawal.
The idea that food may be addictive after "heavy" use by some individuals is a (31)____ subject, Schulte said. Although prior studies in animals and humans have shown some biological and behavioral similarities between substance-use disorders and addictive-like consumption of highly processed foods, no studies have looked at whether reducing junk food can (32)____ withdrawal symptoms in people, she noted. Raising (33)____ that people may experience irritability(烦躁) or headaches when cutting down on junk food can help individuals (34)____ coping strategies in advance, Schulte noted. The findings may also (35)____ light on the barriers people face when changing eating habits—barriers that may play a role in people dropping out of treatments, she said.