Junk Food Changes Your Brain

When people eat too much fatty, sugary foods, it actually changes their brains, according to new research from Johns Hopkins University.

Researchers said in a news release that a diet like that alters opioid receptor levels in an area of the brain that controls food intake.

Opioids are chemicals that exist naturally in the brain that have been linked to feelings of pleasure and euphoria.

An author of the study said that it's interesting because it could mean that bingeing on those kinds of foods makes the brain want even more of them, which could lead to eating disorders.

The research results were presented at the 2009 annual meeting of the Society for the Study of Ingestive Behavior.