Study: Ice Cream Affects Brain Like Cocaine

A new study finds that ice cream has an effect on the human brain that is similar to cocaine. The study, found in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, says that overeating ice cream dulls the reward effect usually associated with occasional treats.

Dr Kyle Burger, co-author of the study, says that “This down-regulation pattern is seen with frequent drug use, where the more an individual uses the drug, the less reward they receive from using it.”

The study gave people milkshakes as they monitored their brains with a Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Machine. The people who consumed the most ice cream craved it more, but enjoyed eating it less.

As weeks went by, those who ate the most ice cream had to eat more to match the pleasure level of those given more limited quantities of the treat.