Oreos attract mice more than drugs: Study

Mice are hooked on the white stuff -- Oreo filling, that is, according to research by students and faculty at Connecticut College.

Lab mice in the study were as drawn to Oreo cookies and its cream filling as they were to cocaine and morphine. The cookie also fired up more neurons in their brains' "pleasure center" than the drugs.

"Our research supports the theory that high-fat/high-sugar foods stimulate the brain in the same way that drugs do," Joseph Schroeder, associate professor of psychology and director of the college's behavioral neuroscience program, said in a statement Wednesday.

The test involved feeding mice in a maze either Oreos or rice cakes, then seeing how long they spent on either side. Then, the test was repeated, except the mice were injected with one of the drugs or saline. The rats spent as much time with the Oreos as they did with the drugs.

The finding, Schroeder said, "lends support to the hypothesis that high-fat/high-sugar foods are addictive.