Ice cream has since long been a favorite for all age groups, but a latest study has put a negative face to the fact that all are fond of Ice creams. The study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition suggests that the human craving for ice-cream is similar to that experienced by drug addicts.

Ice cream leaves people craving for more and addicted in the same way a person feels after using illegal drugs like cocaine.

Dr. Kyle Burger, from the Oregon Research Institute, in Eugene, said that overeating foods that have high fat or sugar content somehow changes the response of the brain and in turn degrades its mental function, which leaves one wanting for more. The same activity is seen among frequent drug users.

In their study, they observed over 150 teenagers, aged between 14 and 16. They were fed real chocolate milkshakes made with ice cream. They then went through Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Machine (fMRI) scans, while being shown a picture of a milkshake made up with ice cream.

The study found some revealing results that all participants craved for the real shake, but those who had the most ice cream were enjoying the least.

The explanation for this behavior was simple. This was similar to the reaction given by a drug addict who despite increased craving was enjoying the pleasure lesser. This was possibly due to the brain, releasing lower levels of the chemical dopamine.

While it is unlikely that people who eat ice cream would get addicted to it like drug addicts, the main aim of the findings was to correlate the addictive like properties of ice cream. More research was necessary to assess the responses of brain to a particular food item and the reliance on self-reported intake.