Why Gen X women can’t stop eating ultra-processed foods

Now, a study shows, 21% of women and 10% of men in Generation X and the tail end of the Baby Boom generation, now in their 50s and early 60s, meet criteria for addiction to these ultra-processed foods.

That rate is far higher than it is among adults who grew up just a decade or two earlier, and only encountered ultra-processed foods in adulthood. Among adults age 65 to 80, just 12% of women and 4% of men meet criteria for ultra-processed food addiction.

The study, published in the journal Addiction by a team from the University of Michigan, is based on nationally representative data from more than 2,000 older Americans surveyed by the U-M National Poll on Healthy Aging.

The poll is based at the U-M Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation and supported by Michigan Medicine, U-M's academic medical center. The new paper builds on a previous poll report by diving deeper into generational differences and correlations with health.

Measuring food addiction in an under-studied group

The researchers used the modified Yale Food Addiction Scale 2.0 (mYFAS 2.0), a standardized tool adapted from the criteria used to diagnose substance use disorders. The scale asks about 13 experiences with ultraprocessed foods and drinks that define addiction, such as strong cravings, repeated unsuccessful attempts to cut down, withdrawal symptoms, and avoiding social activities because of fear of overeating.

In this case, the "substance" is not alcohol or nicotine, but highly rewarding ultra-processed foods such as sweets, fast food, and sugary beverages. By applying clinical addiction criteria to ultra-processed foods, the study highlights the ways in which such foods can "hook" people.

"We hope this study fills a gap in knowledge about addiction to ultra-processed foods among older adults, as measured by a well-studied and standardized scale," said Lucy K. Loch, a graduate student in the U-M Department of Psychology. "Today's older adults were in a key developmental period when our nation's food environment changed. With other research showing clear links between consumption of these foods and risk of chronic disease and premature death, it's important to study addiction to ultra-processed foods in this age group."

Differences by gender

Unlike traditional substance use disorders -- which historically have been more common in older men -- ultra-processed food addiction shows the opposite pattern: higher prevalence in older women.

One explanation may be the aggressive marketing of "diet" ultra-processed food to women in the 1980s.

Low-fat cookies, microwaveable meals, and other carbohydrate-heavy products were promoted as weight-control solutions, but their engineered nutrient profiles may have reinforced addictive eating patterns.

Women now aged 50 to 64 may have been exposed to ultraprocessed foods during a sensitive developmental window, which may help explain the poll's findings for this age group, said senior author Ashley Gearhardt, Ph.D., a professor of psychology at U-M and member of IHPI. Gearhardt leads the U-M Food and Addiction Science & Treatment Lab.

"The percentages we see in these data far outpace the percentages of older adults with problematic use of other addictive substances, such as alcohol and tobacco," said Gearhardt. "We also see a clear association with health and social isolation, with much higher risks of ultra-processed food addiction in those who call their mental or physical health status fair or poor, or say they sometimes or often feel isolated from others."

Key findings related to overweight, health status and social isolation

• Overweight self-perception:
  • Women aged 50 to 80 who said they are overweight were more than 11 times as likely to meet criteria for ultra-processed food addiction than women who say their weight is about right. Men who reported being overweight were 19 times as likely.
  • No matter what their age, 33% of women who described themselves as overweight, 13% of women who described themselves as slightly overweight and 17% of men who described themselves as overweight met criteria for addiction to ultra-processed foods. Of the total sample, 31% of women and 26% of men in the sample said they were overweight and 40% of women and 39% of men said they were slightly overweight.
• Health status:
  • Men reporting fair or poor mental health were four times as likely to meet criteria for ultra-processed food addiction; women were nearly three times as likely.
  • For physical health, men reporting fair or poor health were three times as likely to meet criteria for ultra-processed food addiction, and women were nearly two times as likely.
• Social isolation: Men and women who reported feeling isolated some of the time or often were more than three times as likely to meet criteria for ultra-processed food addiction as those who did not report isolation.

The researchers suggest that individuals who perceive themselves as overweight may be particularly vulnerable to "health-washed" ultra-processed foods - those marketed as low-fat, low-calorie, high-protein or high-fiber, but still formulated to amplify their appeal and maximize craving.

"These products are sold as health foods - which can be especially problematic for those trying to reduce the number of calories they consume," Gearhardt said. "This especially affects women, because of the societal pressure around weight."

Looking Ahead

The generation of older adults now in their 50s and early 60s is the first to live most of their lifespan in a food environment dominated by ultra-processed foods, Geahardt noted.

"These findings raise urgent questions about whether there are critical developmental windows when exposure to ultra-processed foods is especially risky for addiction vulnerability," she said. "Children and adolescents today consume even higher proportions of calories from ultra-processed foods than today's middle-aged adults did in their youth. If current trends continue, future generations may show even higher rates of ultra-processed food addiction later in life."

She added, "Just as with other substances, intervening early may be essential to reducing long-term addiction risk across the lifespan."

About the study

The study was funded by a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program (DGE-2241144) and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health (5R01DA055027).

In addition to Loch and Gearhardt, the study's co-authors are Matthias Kirch, M.S., Dianne C. Singer, M.P.H, Erica Solway, Ph.D., M.S.W., M.P.H., J. Scott Roberts, Ph.D. and poll director Jeffrey T. Kullgren, M.D., M.P.H., M.S. Roberts is a member of the faculty at the U-M School of Public Health, and Kullgren is a member of the faculty in the U-M Medical School and a primary care physician at the VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System.