We all love cheese. But are we being compromised by altered brain chemistry? Is my cheesemonger some scarier version of Walter White?

Well, there was an interesting article that came out which talked about a study as to why some foods are more addictive than others and you'd be surprised by some of the findings. That article likened cheese to crack, in terms of being addictive.

The explanation that went around was that casein, the main protein in cheese, releases opioid-like compounds called casomorphins when it's digested, which supposedly act on your brain like heroin or morphine. Casomorphins are real, and they show up in lab studies. But that part came from press coverage, not from the study, and there isn't much evidence that they do anything meaningful when you eat a slice of cheddar.

What the study actually looked at was how people rated different foods on an addiction-style questionnaire. The foods that scored highest were highly processed ones that are high in fat and refined carbs, like pizza, chocolate and French fries. Cheese wasn't the standout.

Of course, cheese isn't quite like crack, in many respects; but, you definitely should not eat more than is right for you (supposedly 1.5 ounces). In a follow up piece you can see why the cheese-as-crack comparison is a stretch; and, although it's easy to overdo, if you haven't been in cheese withdrawal, it's probably not something you should worry about.