The Invisible Legacy of Fast Food: Seniors and Addiction to Ultra-Processed Foods

Ultra-processed foods, such as chips, cookies, soda, and prepared meals, were designed to be nearly impossible to resist. A new study shows that many older Americans may have developed a true dependence on these products, especially women who grew up in the 1970s and 1980s, when the tobacco industry began applying its addictive techniques to food. This "fast food generation" now has more physical, mental, and even social health problems, demonstrating that the impact of these foods extends far beyond the plate.

In recent decades, the food environment in the United States has undergone a major transformation. Today, the majority of the population's diet consists of ultra-processed foods—mass-produced industrial products with large amounts of sugars, fats, and artificial additives.

These foods are designed to have highly pleasant flavors, smells, and textures, which stimulate the brain to crave them repeatedly. It is estimated that about 60% of the calories consumed by American adults come from these products.

This shift began primarily in the 1970s and 1980s, when large tobacco companies began investing in the food industry. They applied the same strategy used to make cigarettes addictive: they created hyperpalatable foods with precise combinations of fat, sugar, and salt, and used aggressive marketing techniques.

Although these companies sold their food divisions years later, the model they developed remains in place today and still profoundly influences what people eat.

Scientists believe that people who were children, adolescents, or young adults during this transformative period, that is, today's elderly, were particularly impacted. This early exposure may have shaped lasting food preferences and behaviors, making it harder to resist these products later in life.

These ultra-processed foods are so rewarding to the brain that they can trigger an addiction-like response. This means that some people lose control over how much they eat, experience intense cravings for these products, and continue consuming them even when they know they are harming their health.

To study this phenomenon, researchers use the Yale Food Addiction Scale, which adapts the same criteria used to diagnose addictions to substances like alcohol or nicotine.

A global survey of over 200 studies has estimated that approximately 14% of adults show signs of addiction to ultra-processed foods, a rate similar to that of problematic alcohol or tobacco use. This type of eating behavior is linked to poorer diets, higher body weight, diabetes, high cholesterol, and even emotional problems such as anxiety, depression, and social isolation.

To better understand this relationship in older adults, researchers at the University of Michigan conducted a study of 2,038 people between the ages of 50 and 80. This sample was chosen to represent the American population evenly in terms of age, gender, race, education, and income.

The study was conducted in July 2022 through online and telephone interviews as part of the National Survey on Healthy Aging. Participants answered questions about their eating habits, physical and mental health, and how socially connected or isolated they felt.

To assess signs of addiction to ultra-processed foods, a modified version of the Yale Food Addiction Scale 2.0 was used. This scale investigates typical addictive behaviors, such as overeating even when not hungry, feeling guilty after eating, or having difficulty reducing consumption of certain foods (such as sweets, snacks, and soda).

The researchers also analyzed how this addiction related to three major aspects of the older adults' lives:

- Physical health, including body weight and associated illnesses;

- Mental health, such as symptoms of anxiety and depression;

- Social well-being, measured primarily by reported levels of isolation or loneliness.

The analyses were divided between men and women, and also between two age groups: 50 to 64 years old and 65 to 80 years old, to identify differences between generations.

The results showed that 12.4% of the older adults showed signs of addiction to ultra-processed foods. The rate was much higher among women (16.9%) than among men (7.5%), particularly among women aged 50 to 64, where the rate reached 21%.

People who were overweight or obese were the most likely to show signs of food addiction. Among men, the risk was about 19 times higher compared to those of a healthy weight. Among women, the probability was 11 times higher.

Furthermore, older adults who reported poorer physical or mental health were also more likely to experience the problem. Women with poor mental health were almost three times more likely to show signs of addiction, and among men, the number was even higher, four times higher.

Another important finding was the link between food addiction and social isolation. Both men and women who felt lonely or disconnected from others were about three times more likely to develop this type of compulsive eating behavior.

The researchers concluded that addiction to ultra-processed foods is common among older adults in the United States, especially among women who grew up in the 1970s and 1980s, a period when these products began to dominate the market.

These results suggest that repeated consumption of these foods throughout life may be deeply linked to physical, mental, and social health problems. The study also reinforces the need for public health policies that promote a more natural, less processed diet, as well as emotional and social support programs for older adults.

In short, the research reveals that the legacy of the strategies of large food and tobacco corporations is still felt today, not only in eating habits, but also in the health and quality of life of an entire generation.

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Ultra-processed food addiction in a nationally representative sample of older adults in the USA

Lucy K. Loch, Matthias Kirch, Dianne C. Singer, Erica Solway, J. Scott Roberts, Jeffrey T. Kullgren, and Ashley N. Gearhardt

Addiction. 29 September 2025 

https://doi.org/10.1111/add.70186

Abstract: 

Ultra-processed foods (UPFs; industrially produced foods typically containing unnaturally elevated levels of refined carbohydrates and/or added fats) became more widely introduced into the United States (US) food environment in the 1980s and have proliferated since. UPFs have been shown to trigger an addictive-like response. This study examines the prevalence of ultra-processed food addiction (UPFA) in older US adults and its association with various health domains. In July 2022, a cross-sectional online and telephone survey was conducted using the University of Michigan National Poll on Healthy Aging (NPHA). Gender-stratified analyses examined the association between UPFA and perceptions of physical and mental health, and social isolation. Prevalence ratios were calculated, unadjusted and adjusted for age, race/ethnicity, education, and income. Nationally representative sample of older adults (aged 50–80 years) in the United States. The sample included 2038 older adults (49.4% aged 50–64 years and 50.6% aged 65–80 years, 51.2% women, M age = 63.6, standard deviation = 8.1). The modified Yale Food Addiction Scale 2.0 (validated measure that applies the diagnostic criteria for substance use disorder to the overconsumption of UPFs) was used to assess diagnostic criteria for UPFA. Various self-reported items were used to assess health-related domains (i.e., physical and mental health, social isolation). The overall prevalence of UPFA was 12.4%, higher among women (16.9%) than men (7.5%), with the highest rate in women aged 50–64 (21%). Men reporting being overweight were 19.14 (95% confidence interval [CI] [5.26–69.66]) times more likely to meet the criteria for UPFA. Women reporting being overweight were 11.44 (95% CI [4.56–28.71]) times more likely to meet UFPA criteria. Women and men reporting worse physical health were 1.93 (95% CI [1.26–2.98]) times and 2.99 (95% CI [1.70–5.26]) times more likely to meet the criteria for UPFA, respectively. Similarly, women reporting worse mental health were 2.78 (95% CI [1.79–4.32]) times more likely to meet the criteria for UPFA, with men 4.02 (95% CI [2.19–7.38]) times more likely. Lastly, women and men reporting feelings of social isolation were 3.40 (95% CI [2.16–5.34]) times and 3.35 (95% CI [1.83–6.14]) times more likely to meet UFPA criteria. Ultra-processed food addiction appears to be prevalent among older adults in the United States, particularly among women who were in adolescence and early adulthood when the nutrient quality of the US food supply worsened. Addictive patterns of UPF intake appear to be associated with poorer physical health, mental health, and social well-being.