Study finds addiction to ultraprocessed foods growing in U.S.

(CNN)– A new study sheds light on why addiction to ultra-processed foods appears to be growing in the U.S.

It says those foods combine refined carbohydrates, fats, and high energy density in ways not often found in most foods minimally-processed.

One of the study’s authors who created the Yale Food Addiction Scale calls it an “addictive punch.”

She says 12% of children globally are clinically addicted to ultraprocessed foods.

The scale shows 14% of older U.S. adults are too, and the number is growing.