Cheese can be as addictive as crack, warns doctor

ARE you a cheese lover? If you answered yes, then you are advised to exercise caution, as doctors reveal the scary reason why cheese is so addictive.

YumUniverse explained that due to the presence of casomorphins, cheese can be as addictive as crack. If talking to anyone who has recently switched, or is considering a switch to a plant-based diet, more often than not, they claim that cheese is their weakness. Why is this?

“Cheese contains great amounts of casomorphins,” said founder and president of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM), Dr Neal Barnard.

“These protein fragments, derived from the digestion of the milk protein, casein has the distinguishing characteristic of giving one an opioid effect. Opioids are among the world’s oldest known drugs. Dependence develops with ongoing intake, leading to withdrawal syndromes with abrupt discontinuation.”

Barnard explained that opioids are well-known for their ability to produce an euphoric feeling. But if cheese is already a huge part of our diets, who will actually have to experience the unpleasant withdrawal? You guessed it: those who try to kick dairy to the curb for ethical or health reasons.

As casein breaks down in the stomach producing the peptide, casomorphin – an opioid – it acts as a histamine releaser, which is also why so many people are allergic to dairy products – an estimated 70% of the population worldwide.

As milk is turned into cheese, most of its water is removed leaving behind concentrated casein and fat. So, concentrated dairy products, like cheese, have especially high levels of opiates, even morphine.
By now you may be wondering what the evolutionary basis is for these opiates to be in a mammal’s milk.

Dr Barnard explains that the opiates from mother’s milk produce a calming effect on the infant and may be responsible for a good measure of the mother-infant bond. Like it or not, mother’s milk has a drug-like effect on the baby’s brain that ensures that the baby will bond with mom and continue to nurse and get the nutrients it needs. Like heroin or codeine, casomorphins slow intestinal movements and have an antidiarrheal effect.

Can you imagine a life without pizza, cheese toasties or cheesecake?

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