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> Revealed: food companies knew products were addictive
> By Robert Matthews, Science Correspondent
> (Filed: 13/07/2003)
>
>
> Multinational food companies have known for years of research that
> suggests many of their products trigger chemical reactions in the brain
> which lead people to overeat, The Telegraph can reveal.
>
> Scientists working for Nestle and Unilever have been quietly
> investigating how certain foods, such as chocolate biscuits, burgers and
> snacks, make people binge-eat, thereby fuelling obesity. The companies
> insist that there is no proof that the foods create bio-chemical
> reactions that make people eat too much. They are not yet prepared to
> issue consumer warnings or change the nature of the products.
>
> However, scientists working for the industry have said manufacturers
> fear they have created foods that undermine the body's abilities to
> control intake and are battling to find a solution. "We have created a
> bio-chemical monster," one said.
>
> The revelation will be seized on by those who allege that the food
> industry has been reckless. More than 300 million people worldwide are
> now deemed clinically obese, with an estimated 2.5 million dying each
> year as a result of being overweight. In Britain, more than one in five
> adults is obese - triple the figure of 20 years ago.
>
> Earlier this year America's leading fast-food chains, including
> McDonald's and Burger King, were warned of possible legal action from
> obese people following research on mice and rats suggesting that fast
> food could trigger overeating. It is now clear that the industry has
> known for years of similar results from research on humans.
>
> One scientist who acts as a consultant to food manufacturers said: "They
> are aware that they have been too successful in creating food that some
> people just can't say no to. It's an enormous problem."
>
> The overeating effect is thought to be triggered by opioids, chemicals
> which produce a desire to eat more while reducing the "sated" feeling
> that normally kills appetite.
>
> Research being studied by the industry shows that although the effect is
> only short-lived, it can have a dramatic effect on food intake.
> According to a recent review of 20 years of research by scientists at
> the University of Sussex, when release of opioids was blocked using
> drugs, intake among human volunteers fell by 21 per cent. The effect was
> even larger among obese people, whose intake fell by 33 per cent.
>
> Further research also suggests that the opioids effect is strongest with
> products that involve combinations of foods which are typically high in
> fat and carbohydrates. These combinations are routinely used to boost
> the so-called palatability of products, with chocolate being added to
> cereals and biscuits, cheese added to savoury snacks, and buns with a
> high sugar content being used for hamburgers and cheeseburgers.
>
> The industry has long sought to drive up the palatability of its
> products. Now, however, it is becoming clear that palatability reflects
> the effect food has on the brain.
>
> Dr Martin Yeomans, of the University of Sussex, a leading authority on
> opioids, said: "I am confident that opioids play a role in food intake."
>
> Dr Yeomans will present the latest evidence linking palatability to
> over-eating at a scientific meeting this week which is sponsored by
> leading food companies, including Nestle, the world's largest, and
> Unilever.
>
> A spokesman for Nestle in Vevey, Switzerland, confirmed that the company
> has been studying the role of palatability and opioids in food intake
> for many years. He said: "We have projects currently running to
> investigate this and other aspects of obesity and the company will make
> all necessary changes when there is significant scientific evidence to
> support such action."
>
> However, the company did not consider the evidence strong enough to
> require action: "We have to be certain that there are no unexpected
> negative aspects." Unilever, which owns the Knorr, Birds Eye and Ragu
> brands, is also investigating the links.
>
> At this week's conference in Groningen, Holland, scientists will present
> strategies for dealing with the issue, including greater consumer
> education and labelling.
>
> The findings about the effects of opioids were seized on yesterday by
> Prof John Banzhaf of George Washington University, Washington DC, who
> played a key role in the billion-dollar lawsuits against tobacco
> companies during the 1990s.
>
> During the 1990s, evidence emerged that the industry had manipulated
> cigarettes' content to enhance their addictive nature. In 1998, the
> industry reached a settlement with 46 American state governments
> totalling $206 billion.
>
> Prof Banzhaf described the food industry's knowledge of possible links
> between high-calorie food and over-eating by humans as "astounding".
> "This would seem to constitute failure to disclose a material fact -
> information that might sway the decision of consumers, had they known
> about it," he said.
>
> While there is no suggestion that the food industry knowingly
> manipulates its products to boost over-consumption, Prof Banzhaf said
> there were parallels with the case against the tobacco industry. "They
> said smokers smoke for the taste, and it had nothing to do with the
> brain. It sounds to me that we have something very similar here."