Ultra-processed foods trigger hidden addiction in older adults

People now in their 50s and early 60s grew up as the first American generation surrounded by ultra-processed foods. They ate sugary cereals, frozen dinners, snack cakes, and colorful drinks loaded with artificial flavors and additives.

A new study says that early exposure may have done more than shape eating habits – it may have led to something more serious: addiction.

Food cravings mimic drug dependence

For years, scientists have debated whether food can truly be addictive the way drugs or alcohol are. This study strengthens the idea that food can be addictive. Ultra-processed foods, designed to hit the brain’s reward system hard and fast, make the case even stronger.

The researchers looked at Americans between ages 50 and 80 and found something surprising: 21 percent of women and 10 percent of men aged 50 to 64 met the clinical criteria for addiction to ultra-processed foods.

That’s a lot higher than what was found in older adults. Among people aged 65 to 80, only 12 percent of women and 4 percent of men showed signs of food addiction.

These numbers came from a national survey conducted by the University of Michigan’s National Poll on Healthy Aging. Researchers used a tool called the Modified Yale Food Addiction Scale 2.0.

The survey explored cravings, withdrawal, failed attempts to cut back, and avoiding social events to keep eating certain foods. Basically, the team applied the same standards used to diagnose addiction to drugs or alcohol – but here, the “substance” is processed food.

Raised on TV dinners

The generation born in the late 1960s through the early 1970s hit their teens and twenties just as ultra-processed foods exploded in popularity. Fast food chains multiplied.

Grocery stores filled with low-fat cookies and frozen meals marketed as healthy. Soda, candy, and chips became everyday staples.

Researchers say this matters. “Today’s older adults were in a key developmental period when our nation’s food environment changed,” said Lucy Loch, a graduate student in the University of Michigan Department of Psychology.

“With other research showing clear links between consumption of these foods and risk of chronic disease and premature death, it’s important to study addiction to ultra-processed foods in this age group.”

Diet foods backfire

The study found that women in their 50s and early 60s are more likely than men to meet the criteria for food addiction. This goes against the trend seen with other addictions like alcohol or nicotine, which tend to affect more men.

One possible reason? The marketing of diet foods. In the 1980s and 1990s, companies heavily pushed “light” and “low-fat” products aimed at women – things like low-calorie frozen dinners, 100-calorie snack packs, and fat-free desserts.

Food companies still processed these products heavily and packed them with carbohydrates and artificial ingredients. They marketed them as better options.

“The percentages we see in these data far outpace the percentages of older adults with problematic use of other addictive substances, such as alcohol and tobacco,” said Ashley Gearhardt, a psychology professor at the University of Michigan and the senior author of the study.

“We also see a clear association with health and social isolation, with much higher risks of ultra-processed food addiction in those who call their mental or physical health status fair or poor, or say they sometimes or often feel isolated from others.”

Self-image drives food addiction

The data shows strong connections between food addiction and how people see their weight, mental health, physical health, and social lives.

Women between 50 and 80 who described themselves as higher weight were more than 11 times as likely to meet the criteria for ultra-processed food addiction compared to women who said their weight was about right. For men, that number jumped to 19 times as likely.

Across all age groups in the study, 33 percent of women who considered themselves of higher weight showed signs of food addiction. Thirteen percent of women who said they were slightly heavier and 17 percent of men who said they were of higher weight also showed signs of addiction.

Poor health raises risk

Mental and physical health also played a role. Men in fair or poor mental health were four times more likely to develop an addiction to ultra-processed foods.

Women in the same category were nearly three times as likely. When it came to physical health, men were three times as likely and women were nearly two times as likely.

Feeling socially isolated made a big difference too. Those who said they felt isolated at least some of the time were more than three times as likely to meet the criteria for food addiction.

The researchers noted that people who see themselves as higher weight especially opt for processed foods marketed as healthy – low-fat, low-calorie, high-protein – but still formulated to encourage overconsumption.

“These products are sold as health foods – which can be especially problematic for those trying to reduce the number of calories they consume,” said Gearhardt. “This especially affects women, because of the societal pressure around weight.”

Ultra-processed food addiction

“These findings raise urgent questions about whether there are critical developmental windows when exposure to ultra-processed foods is especially risky for addiction vulnerability,” said Gearhardt.

Younger people today eat even more ultra-processed food than Gen X did. If that trend continues, the future could hold even higher rates of food addiction in adulthood.

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

This study doesn’t just shine a light on a generation – it raises concerns about the long-term effects of a food system built for speed, profit, and shelf life. As researchers keep digging into how our brains respond to processed foods, one thing is clear: the line between habit and addiction may be thinner than we thought.

The full study was published in the journal Addiction.

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