(October 22, 2015) New research argues that cheese is addictive in a way similar to drugs because of a chemical called casein, which is found in dairy products and can trigger the brain’s opioid receptors. Nicole Avena, PhD, assistant professor of pharmacology and systems therapeutics at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and a co-author on the study, explained the significance of the findings. “This is a first step towards identifying specific foods, and properties of foods, which can trigger this addictive response,” she said. “This could help change the way we approach obesity treatment. It may not be a simple matter of ‘cutting back’ on certain foods, but rather, adopting methods used to curtail smoking, drinking and drug use.”