Just say no: Oreos are apparently as addictive as cocaine

The late Rick James coined an early-2000s catchphrase with "Cocaine's a hell of a drug." So are Oreos, apparently. According to a study from Connecticut College, everyone's favorite combination of cookies and creme filling is as addictive as cocaine. The researchers used rats to test their theory, giving hungry rodents Oreos on one side of a maze and rice cakes on the other — and (fun fact) the rats ate the creme first. Rats in a second experiment were given a shot of either cocaine or morphine on one side of the maze and a shot of saline on the other.

They were surprised to learn that the rats that had gorged themselves on Oreos had more neurons activated in the brain's "pleasure center" than rats that had been injected with actual narcotics. "Even though we associate significant health hazards in taking drugs like cocaine and morphine, high-fat, high-sugar foods may present even more of a danger because of their accessibility and affordability," researcher Jamie Honohan told NBC Connecticut.