The impulsive behavior that makes people alcohol and drug addicts is also a major contributor to food addiction, University of Georgia researchers found.

Researchers noted that people with impulsive personalities are more likely to portray a compulsive eating disorder, similar to that of a drug addict. This leads to food addiction and later obesity.

"The notion of food addiction is a very new one, and one that has generated a lot of interest," said James MacKillop, the study's principal investigator and associate professor of psychology in UGA's Franklin College of Arts and Sciences in a press statement. "My lab generally studies alcohol, nicotine and other forms of drug addiction, but we think it's possible to think about impulsivity, food addiction and obesity using some of the same techniques."

Using the Yale Food Addiction Scale and the UPPS-P Impulsive Behavior Scale, researchers determined the level of food addiction and impulsivity among the 233 participants. These measurements were then compared to each participant's BMI (Body mass index) which provides an insight into whether a person is obese or not.

MacKillop and his team of researchers clarified that though impulsive behaviors can lead to food addiction; it is not necessarily associated with obesity.  Just because a person displays impulsive behavior doesn't mean he's obese. However, this behavior can lead to food addiction which results in higher BMI, the driving force behind obesity.

More than one-third of U.S. adults are obese, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, putting them at greater risk for heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and certain types of cancer. The food industry has been a big contributor to this, with the manufacturing of foods that are high in fat, sodium, sugar and other flavorful additives. These processed foods produce a craving similar to that for drugs.

"Modern neuroscience has helped us understand how substances like drugs and alcohol co-opts areas of the brain that evolved to release dopamine and create a sense of happiness or satisfaction," MacKillop said. "And now we realize that certain types of food also hijack these brain circuits and lay the foundation for compulsive eating habits that are similar to drug addiction."