Combination of carbs and fat is most addictive?

Are carbohydrates the most addictive macronutrient?

It is often claimed that carbohydrate (or sugar specifically) is very addicting. However, people don’t tend to put spoons of sugar in their mouth. So, are carbohydrates and/or sugar really that addicting?

This study investigated brain responses to calorie-matched food products high in 1) carbohydrate, 2) fat, or 3) carbohydrate and fat. Participants were shown pictures of these food products while lying in an MRI scanner to measure brain activation (fMRI). In addition, their willingness to pay was determined for all products.

There was no difference in willingness to pay for the carbohydrate or fat products. However, willingness to pay was higher for products that were high in both carbohydrates and fat.

In agreement, brain regions associated with reward were more activated while participants saw the products rich in both carbohydrates and fat.

A strength of this study is that they used fMRI, which is an accurate and objective way to visualize brain region activation. A limitation is that actual behavior was not measured (how much and often these foods are bought and consumed)

Study:
Difeliceantonio et al. Supra-Additive Effects of Combining Fat and Carbohydrate on Food Reward. Cell Metab, 2018

Go to the following infographic in the dieting series:
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