The Scientific Reason Why You’re Addicted to Oreos (2024)

FAQs

The Scientific Reason Why You’re Addicted to Oreos? ›

The “pleasure center” of the brain, the nucleus accumbens, apparently gets just as activated in response to Oreos as it does to cocaine and morphine, which could actually have some major public health implications.

In this case, the study showed that Oreo cookies were as addictive as morphine and cocaine. The research showed that high-fat high sugar foods stimulate the brain in the same way as these drugs. The Oreo cookies were chosen for study because they are America's favorite cookie.

When we perform pleasurable activities, including eating palatable foods such as Oreo cookies, a reward system is kicked off in the brain. This includes dopamine neurotransmitters getting released in the brain.

Part of the reason why Oreos are so popular is that they can be eaten with or without milk. This makes them a great snack for any time of day. If you are craving something sweet, you can have a few Oreos with a glass of milk.

Oreo cookies have high amounts of sugar, fat, and calories. Therefore, it can cause severe health conditions like diabetes, obesity, and heart diseases.

A traditional chocolate chip cookie has about 2.5 teaspoons of sugar. And then there's the fat, which usually comes from butter. Researchers say the fat and sugar combine to induce feel-good brain chemicals linked to addiction.

One simple way to do that is stop having Oreos around. Don't keep them in the house (or office, or wherever you snack). Instead stock the kind of snack foods you want to be eating. A little distance between you and temptation works wonders.

Did you know that Americans eat more than 20.5 million Oreos a day? What do the many unique ways we eat our favorite cookie say about us?

Samuel J. Porcello (May 23, 1935 – May 12, 2012) was an American food scientist who worked at Nabisco for 34 years. He is particularly noted for his work on the modern Oreo cookie. Porcello held five patents directly related to the Oreo.

Who eats Oreos the most? ›

Oreos are most popular among males ages 16-18 years.

Within gender and the age groups of our survey (ages 13-24), we found that Oreo is most popular among 16-18-year-old males. 92% of males cookie snackers ages 16-18 include Oreo as one of their favorite brands.

Etymology. The origin of the name "Oreo" is unknown, but there are many hypotheses, including derivations from the French word or, meaning "gold", or from the Greek word ωραίο (oreo) meaning "nice" or "attractive". Others believe that the cookie was named Oreo simply because the name was short and easy to pronounce.

Soft cookies (without nuts) are good, but avoid hard cookies like Oreos and Chips Ahoy unless you're a milk dunker. Ice cream is fine, but skip the nuts and hard candy toppings. Milkshakes are good also, as are jello, pudding, and soft cake.

Owner Sound Bites Nutrition, LLC calls out Oreos as particularly problematic since they're high in sugar and fat and people can't seem to eat just a few. Instead: Andrews says, "If you have a craving for something crunchy or chocolate, I recommend cocoa dusted almonds.

No child “should need to eat Oreos”, other than as maybe a very occasional treat. Give your toddler a fruit, or a hard cracker, but no need for that much sugar and processed food.

The Verdict

Oreo cookies have high amounts of sugar, fat, and calories. Therefore, it can cause severe health conditions like diabetes, obesity, and heart diseases. However, you can avoid the harmful effects by having it in moderation.

It is recommended that an individual limits their intake of Oreos to the serving size specified on the package, which is typically three cookies. Each Oreo cookie contains approximately 52 calories and 2.3 grams of fat, including both saturated and unsaturated fats.

Co-author Jamie Honohan explained that Oreos were chosen not only for their taste, but because they have high amounts of fat and sugar and are marketed heavily in areas where people tend to have lower socioeconomic status and higher obesity rates.

The official serving size is 3. A calorie counter might well have only 2. If you are distributing them to children for a snack, 2 might be appropriate.