In Honor of National Oreo Day, We Want to Know Why Oreos Are So Dang Addicting
Updated April 10 2020, 3:55 p.m. ET
Oreos have officially been labeled "America's Favorite Cookie," and it makes total sense — they're truly delicious, and one can't have just one. And in honor of National Oreo Day, we've decided to look at why Oreos are so addictive. Prepare to be mind-blown.
Studies show that Oreos are apparently "as addictive as cocaine."
That's right, y'all — Oreos are apparently on par with the popular party drug in terms of how addictive they are. According to Forbes, scientists conducted a study on rats, which showed their brains responding to Oreos and drugs on a similar level. After eating the beloved packaged cookie, the “pleasure center” of the brain became equally activated as it does with cocaine and morphine. So like, that's shocking.
Although researchers weren't quite as surprised as you are right now, they noted that rats eating Oreos expressed a protein called c-Fos, which is common in situations involving pleasure and addiction. They attributed this to the fact that high-fat and high-sugar foods tend to stimulate like drugs, explaining why some people can't resist eating them. Boom.
That's why you don't do the same thing with healthier foods.
According to Hartford Courant, scientists put rats in a maze with Oreos on one side, and rice cakes on the other. And obviously, the rats spent far longer on the side with the Oreos than the side with the rice cakes. That's because rice cakes don't contain nearly as much fat or sugar as Oreos.
While all of us would be elated to have a rice cake addiction, rather than a debilitating cookie addiction — for obvious reasons — it seems like that isn't scientifically possible, according to science.
Apparently, the way you eat Oreos is normal, too, according to science.
Those of us who have (quite shamefully) eaten our way through a sleeve of Oreos are well-aware of the fact that the creamy center must be devoured first, followed by the outer chocolate cookies, and according to TODAY, that's another commonality between rats and the human race.
The reason behind why humans and rats alike opt for the creamy filling before anything else is yet to be determined, however, it's most likely related to the high sugar and fat content we all clearly love so much.
There you have it — your Oreo addiction stems from a love of fat and carbs, and in all sincerity, we can all relate. While having a raging cookie addiction certainly isn't my proudest attribute, things could definitely be worse. And at the end of the day, I'd rather be addicted to cookies and milk as opposed to anything else.
Don't forget to celebrate the beloved snack food on March 5 and every other day of the year, because seriously, they're magical.