We all know Oreo is “milk’s favorite cookie”, but is it your favorite cookie? Personally, I try to avoid eating Oreos just because once I start I have a hard time stopping. I always find myself joking that they must contain nicotine or something, but we all know that isn’t true. However, according to a recent study, scientists are claiming “Oreos may be as addicting as cocaine”… 

            Connecticut College conducted a study with lab rats in a maze with rice cakes (control group) on one end, and Oreos (experimental group) on the other. The rats were given the option of being on either side of the maze, and the students and professor would monitor the amount of time spent there. They then repeated this experiment with an injection of saline (control group) on the one end, and an injection of cocaine or morphine (experimental group) on the other. The results were shocking; the rats spent just as much time on the Oreo side of the maze as they did on the “drug” side! Additionally, “Oreos activated significantly more neurons than cocaine or morphine” in the brains of the rats, furthermore supporting their hypothesis that high fat and high sugar foods are indeed addictive. 

            All in all, I think this experimental study was conducted successfully. The controls were consistent and complemented the experimental groups well. The rats were simply placed in the maze and given the option of moving wherever they wanted, so it’s clear that the way they were acting was not due to human manipulation. Also, the rats were allowed to eat the Oreos however they wanted, and surprisingly “would break it open and eat the middle first,” much like humans. My only criticism is that when given the choice of eating a rice cake or an Oreo, wouldn’t most of us choose the Oreo? Maybe they should have used something that is more closely related to an Oreo…

            While I think it’s quite a stretch to say that Oreos are “as addicting as cocaine,” the results of this experiment do prove the addictiveness of the snack. The behavior in the rats “could explain why people have a hard time turning junk food down,” simply because they can’t. As a society, we tend to “associate significant health hazards in taking drugs like cocaine and morphine”; however, it is clear that addictiveness is not only prevalent in drugs – it’s in sugary foods as well! Oreos are easily accessible and produce a similar “high” when eaten, so naturally people can become addicted easily and in some cases, unwillingly. So next time you tell yourself you’re going to only have one Oreo, see if you actually end up eating just one.