HealthDay (9/30, Neff) reports a study “suggests that older adults, particularly Generation X women, have high rates of addiction to ultra-processed foods, such as fast food, sugary drinks and packaged snacks.” The study “found that 21% of women and 10% of men in Gen X and the last wave of Baby Boomers met the criteria for ultra-processed food addiction.” Researchers observed that “men who reported fair or poor mental health were four times more likely to meet the criteria for ultra-processed food addiction, while women were nearly three times as likely. Men and women who said they sometimes or often felt isolated were more than three times as likely to show signs of addiction.” One possible reason why ultra-processed food addiction is more common in older women, according to researchers, “is the aggressive marketing of ‘diet’ ultra-processed foods to women in the 1980s. These low-fat or low-calorie products were formulated with addictive nutrient profiles.” The study was published in Addiction.
Related Links:
— “Gen X Older Adults Show High Rates of Ultra-Processed Food Addiction,”Deanna Neff, HealthDay, September 30, 2025