Many older adults show signs of ultra-processed food addiction

The percentages we see in these data far outpace the percentages of older adults with problematic use of other addictive substances, such as alcohol and tobacco."

-Ashley Gearhardt, Ph.D. 

Low-fat cookies, microwaveable meals, and other carbohydrate-heavy products were promoted as weight-control solutions, but their engineered nutrient profiles may have reinforced addictive eating patterns.

Women now aged 50 to 64 may have been exposed to ultraprocessed foods during a sensitive developmental window, which may help explain the poll’s findings for this age group, said senior author Ashley Gearhardt, Ph.D., a professor of psychology at U-M and member of IHPI. Gearhardt leads the U-M Food and Addiction Science & Treatment Lab.

“The percentages we see in these data far outpace the percentages of older adults with problematic use of other addictive substances, such as alcohol and tobacco,” said Gearhardt.

“We also see a clear association with health and social isolation, with much higher risks of ultra-processed food addiction in those who call their mental or physical health status fair or poor, or say they sometimes or often feel isolated from others.”

Key findings related to overweight, health status and social isolation 

Overweight self-perception

• Women aged 50 to 80 who said they are overweight were more than 11 times as likely to meet criteria for ultra-processed food addiction than women who say their weight is about right. Men who reported being overweight were 19 times as likely. 

• No matter what their age, 33% of women who described themselves as overweight, 13% of women who described themselves as slightly overweight and 17% of men who described themselves as overweight met criteria for addiction to ultra-processed foods. Of the total sample, 31% of women and 26% of men in the sample said they were overweight and 40% of women and 39% of men said they were slightly overweight.  

Health status

• Men reporting fair or poor mental health were four times as likely to meet criteria for ultra-processed food addiction; women were nearly three times as likely.  

• For physical health, men reporting fair or poor health were three times as likely to meet criteria for ultra-processed food addiction, and women were nearly two times as likely. 

Social isolation

• Men and women who reported feeling isolated some of the time or often were more than three times as likely to meet criteria for ultra-processed food addiction as those who did not report isolation. 

The researchers suggest that individuals who perceive themselves as overweight may be particularly vulnerable to “health-washed” ultra-processed foods – those marketed as low-fat, low-calorie, high-protein or high-fiber, but still formulated to amplify their appeal and maximize craving.

“These products are sold as health foods – which can be especially problematic for those trying to reduce the number of calories they consume,” Gearhardt said. 

“This especially affects women, because of the societal pressure around weight.”

Looking ahead

The generation of older adults now in their 50s and early 60s is the first to live most of their lifespan in a food environment dominated by ultra-processed foods, Geahardt notes.

“These findings raise urgent questions about whether there are critical developmental windows when exposure to ultra-processed foods is especially risky for addiction vulnerability,” she said. “Children and adolescents today consume even higher proportions of calories from ultra-processed foods than today’s middle-aged adults did in their youth. If current trends continue, future generations may show even higher rates of ultra-processed food addiction later in life.”

She added, “Just as with other substances, intervening early may be essential to reducing long-term addiction risk across the lifespan.”

Learn more about the National Poll on Healthy Aging, including methodology.

Additional authors: In addition to Loch and Gearhardt, the study’s co-authors are Matthias Kirch, M.S., Dianne C. Singer, M.P.H, Erica Solway, Ph.D., M.S.W., M.P.H., J. Scott Roberts, Ph.D. and poll director Jeffrey T. Kullgren, M.D., M.P.H., M.S. Roberts is a member of the faculty at the U-M School of Public Health, and Kullgren is a member of the faculty in the U-M Medical School and a primary care physician at the VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System.

Funding/disclosures: The study was funded by a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program (DGE-2241144) and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health (5R01DA055027).

Paper cited: "Ultra-processed food addiction in a nationally representative sample of older adults in the USA," Addiction. DOI: 10.1111/add.70186

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