Cheese can be addictive: study

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The US National Library of Medicine has revealed findings from a new study that the innocently-looking cheese could be causing some form of addiction, albeit in a relatively more modest scale.

The study found out that cheese can be really addictive and you can blame it from a certain type of protein found in milk called casein. These milk protein is the source of casomorphins which is the by-product produced when food like cheese are digested inside our stomach, the US Magazine reported.

The researchers conducted two different studies involving 500 respondents. The first group was asked to complete a questionnaire, called Yale Food Addiction Scale, which was designed to measure whether a person is addicted to food. They were then tasked to choose which, among the list of 35 foods, they found most addictive. The second group also completed the questionnaire but were also asked on how tough it would be to give up each of the 35 foods. The list includes foods such as chocolate, cookies, chips, and cheeseburgers. Pizza was the no. 1 food choice for the respondents.

The data shows that highly processed foods with added levels of fat and/or refined carbohydrates (like white flour and sugar), were most likely to be associated with addictive-like eating behaviors. The study was published in the journal PLOS ONE.

Dr. Neil Barnard, who spearheads the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, is one of those who believe that there could really be a ground as to why cheese can be so addictive.

Barnard told the Vegetarian Times that "casomorphins attach to the brain's opiate receptors to cause a calming effect in much the same way heroin and morphine do. In fact, since cheese is processed to express out all the liquid, it's an incredibly concentrated source of casomorphins, you might call it dairy crack," the Delish.com wrote in one of their articles.

But, it also worth mentioning that our bodies could be into cheese because of the nutrients that it can provide, as opposed to the negative effects of an actual crack. Further studies regarding the topic must be done.

Barnard also hypothesized that the mother's milk could have drug-like effect on the brains of the babies which could be the reason why infants are naturally dependent to their moms. This special relationship or bond between mothers and their babies could be the effect of opiates from the milk, which also produce a certain calming effect on the babies. This ensures that infants go on to look for their mothers to get the nutrients they need, according to Yum Universe.