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I used 'sugar' for a reason, comparing it to potato chips is an apples to oranges comparison. We are talking about addiction, and how the brain at young ages can't really perceive or moderate highly addictive behaviors.

Sugar is provably addictive and has been compared to cocaine, heroin, and other opioids for the flood of dopamine it causes.

Those optimized foods you refer to often simply have a lot of sugar processed into them.

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I wonder if children can actually metabolize sugar better than adults? They certainly seem to have more of a sweet tooth, and sugar cereals seem to be more popular with children than adults. Adults are far more likely to complain that something is "too sweet."

But hyper-palatable foods aren't just sweet - they're savory, spicy, tangy, salty, fatty, all sorts of delicous! They also smell amazing. I recall reading that simply smelling pizza can be enough to cause your blood sugar to spike, presumably in anticipation.

Paradoxically artificial sweeteners can apparently raise blood sugar as well, as can black/unsweetened coffee.

Children's palate is still developing, that's why they like different tastes than they would as a adults. It literally tastes different to them!

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