A new study in rats concludes what we've all suspected: binging on fatty foods can be addicting.

The study, appearing in the latest edition of the journal Nature Neuroscience, finds that overeating can trigger the same response in the brain that fuels drug addiction. Researchers from the National Institute on Drug Abuse discuss how obesity and drug addiction are linked to the same dysfunction in a reward system in the brain.

Eating too much or getting a fix can trigger an increase in this reward threshold, making you eat more or do more drugs to satisfy the craving. (Makes sense to anyone who has devoured an entire box of chocolates. Please tell me I'm not alone in this.)

Researchers studied rats for 40 days, giving three groups of them unlimited access to food. In addition, two groups had access to high-fat food for either an hour or 18-23 hours. After the 40 day period, the rats were cut off from their fatty food binge. Researchers found the brain receptors that play a role in addiction also played a role in the rats that became obese.

The authors think the study can help techniques to treat obesity, perhaps even using the same drugs used to treat addiction.

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