"People sometimes have difficulty controlling how much they eat of certain foods such as:
• Sweets like ice cream, chocolate, doughnuts, cookies, cake, and candy
• Starches like white bread, rolls, pasta, and rice
• Salty snacks like chips, pretzels, and crackers
• Fatty foods like steak, bacon, hamburgers, cheeseburgers, pizza, and french friesÂ
• Sugary drinks like soda pop, lemonade, sports drinks, and energy drinks
In answering the following questions, respondents were asked to consider their experiences with the foods listed above, any foods or beverages similar to those listed above, and any other foods they had difficulty with in the past year."
Citation formats
Share of U.S. seniors with symptoms of addiction to ultra-processed foods in 2022
In 2022, a survey of adults in the United States aged 50 to 80 years found that 24 percent reported that at least once a week they had such strong urges to eat certain foods that they couldn’t think of anything else. This statistic shows the percentage of adults in the United States aged 50 to 80 years with select ultra-processed food addiction symptoms in 2022.
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IHPI. (January 29, 2023). Percentage of adults in the United States aged 50 to 80 years with select ultra-processed food addiction symptoms in 2022 [Graph]. In ÌÇÐÄÆÆ½â°æ. Retrieved July 28, 2026, from /statistics/1491286/seniors-ultra-processed-food-addiction-symptoms/
IHPI. "Percentage of adults in the United States aged 50 to 80 years with select ultra-processed food addiction symptoms in 2022." Chart. January 29, 2023. ÌÇÐÄÆÆ½â°æ. Accessed July 28, 2026. /statistics/1491286/seniors-ultra-processed-food-addiction-symptoms/
IHPI. (2023). Percentage of adults in the United States aged 50 to 80 years with select ultra-processed food addiction symptoms in 2022. ÌÇÐÄÆÆ½â°æ. ÌÇÐÄÆÆ½â°æ Inc.. Accessed: July 28, 2026. /statistics/1491286/seniors-ultra-processed-food-addiction-symptoms/
IHPI. "Percentage of Adults in The United States Aged 50 to 80 Years with Select Ultra-processed Food Addiction Symptoms in 2022." ÌÇÐÄÆÆ½â°æ, ÌÇÐÄÆÆ½â°æ Inc., 29 Jan 2023, /statistics/1491286/seniors-ultra-processed-food-addiction-symptoms/
IHPI, Percentage of adults in the United States aged 50 to 80 years with select ultra-processed food addiction symptoms in 2022 ÌÇÐÄÆÆ½â°æ, /statistics/1491286/seniors-ultra-processed-food-addiction-symptoms/ (last visited July 28, 2026)
Percentage of adults in the United States aged 50 to 80 years with select ultra-processed food addiction symptoms in 2022 [Graph], IHPI, January 29, 2023. [Online]. Available: /statistics/1491286/seniors-ultra-processed-food-addiction-symptoms/