New Study Says Oreo Cookies Are Just As Addictive As Cocaine

Everyone can ditch ANY inkling of regret they've ever had after wolfing down a entire row of Oreos in the middle of the night. Researchers at Connecticut College believe they have stumbled upon evidence that proves that Oreo cookies are just as addictive as cocaine.

Before you head for the pantry for more Oreos with this newfound excuse for shameless gluttony in your back pocket, it should be noted that this evidence proves that the delicious snack cookies are just as addictive as cocaine - when tested on lab rats.

But isn't that where they test everything for humans anyway? 

Jamie Honohan, a neuroscience senior, put together the study to see what impact foods that were high in sugar and fat would have in low-income neighborhoods. To carry this out, he and two other students put together a maze that on one side, hungry rats would find an Oreo; and on the other, hungry rats would find rice cakes.

Naturally, all of the rats went for the Oreo (refer back to that "why they test stuff for humans on rats" comment from earlier) and researchers are comparing their behavior in this test to the behavior of rats in a similar test where shots of cocaine are given on one side of the maze, and saline is given on the other. Rats were hanging out on the Oreo side of the maze, just as long as the rats who were hanging on the "cocaine" side of the maze.

Furthermore, the research team found that the Oreo cookies "activated significantly more neurons than cocaine or morphine."

What this now means is that every time you open up an Oreo cookie, you're actually unlocking a cleverly marketed dosage of sweet cocaine, gently placed within the confines of two drug-smuggling chocolate wafers of goodness.

Or maybe it just means that Oreos, like all things that are bad for us, are just ridiculously delicious. One thing is for sure - replacing cookies with cocaine definitely gives a whole new meaning to this commercial.

[via Gawker]