New U.S research has found that quitting junk food can cause real withdrawals. Research that was carried out by the University of Michigan, investigated what physical and psychological issues people have experienced when they tried to stop eating highly processed foods. Some symptoms were mood swings, craving, anxiety, headaches, and poor sleep, which were similar to those who quit smoking cigarettes.

A study led by Erica Schulte, a doctoral candidate in psychology at the University of Michigan, was conducted among 231 adults aged 19-68 who wanted to record any reaction the participants had when they tried to cut back the highly processed and fatty foods over a year. The findings showed that the withdrawal symptoms experienced after cutting out junk food made dietary improvements challenging which contributed to unhealthy habits. Withdrawal symptoms were most intense between the second and fifth days after attempting to reduce junk-food consumption, which parallels the time span people live through during drug withdrawals.

However, there were some flaws in the study. Participants were asked to recall their symptoms instead of measuring the effects in real time. The findings also suggest that withdrawal symptoms may make diets challenging, which is why many people will revert back to eating junk food.