Why Cheese Is More Addictive Than You Think | Dr. Neal Barnard Reveals the Shocking Science

The Exam Room by the Physicians Committee

Physicians Committee

Health & Fitness, Nutrition, Medicine

4.9 • 3.3K Ratings

🗓️ 11 December 2025

⏱️ 36 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Is cheese really addictive? According to Dr. Neal Barnard, the answer is a resounding YES. The brain reacts nearly identically to cheese as it does narcotics and alcohol. While it sounds shocking, these claims are backed by science.

In this episode of The Exam Room Podcast, Chuck Carroll sits down with the author of The Cheese Trap to uncover how opioid-like compounds concentrated in cheese—activate powerful pleasure pathways, why U.S. cheese consumption has exploded to nearly 40 pounds per person per year, and how the dairy industry keeps us hooked.

You'll discover:
• The opiate chemistry of cheese
• How cheese contributes to obesity and diabetes
• The link between dairy hormones and breast cancer
• Why kids are showing early artery damage
• Which cheeses contain the highest casomorphin levels
• The surprising role of sodium and saturated fat
• How quitting cheese can dramatically improve health

If you've ever said, "I could go vegan except for cheese," this is an episode you cannot miss.

This episode is sponsored by The Gregory J. Reiter Memorial Fund. Visit their website: https://gregoryreiterfund.org

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About Us
The Physicians Committee is dedicated to saving lives through plant-based diets and ethical and effective scientific research. We combine the clout and expertise of more than 17,000 physicians with the dedicated actions of more than 175,000 members across the United States and around the world.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Today, on the exam room.
0:04.5	Dairy protein breaks apart in your gut and releases morphine-like peptides that go to the brain and trigger the pleasure centers that heroin would turn on as well.
0:14.6	Just to be crystal clear, when you eat cheese, you're lighting up those same pleasure centers as when you take that sip of beer.
0:23.1	Yes.
0:23.3	When you use heroin, cocaine, whatever the case may be, the brain can't really tell a difference.
0:28.3	Let's say I have demoral or fentanyl or heroin. There is a receptor in the brain that they
0:32.8	attach to and the cheese chasomorphins attach to the very same one.
0:39.2	Welcome to the exam room podcast, brought to you by the Physicians Committee.
0:43.2	Hi, I'm Chuck Carroll, raising health IQs coast to coast and around the world.
0:48.5	Hi to the exam room is listening in Fargo, North Dakota, Wichita Falls, Texas, and Marseille, France. Wherever you are, we appreciate
0:57.1	you helping to make the world a healthier place. This is episode 97 of season 8, number 696 overall.
1:05.3	And today we are focusing on one of the single most addictive foods known to mankind. Today, we're talking about
1:14.3	cheese. Whether it's cheddar or Monterey Jack or a block of mystery velvita, cheese lights up
1:21.4	your brain like a drug, and we are going to break down why. And joining us to talk all about this is the author of The Cheese Trap and the president of
1:30.4	the Physicians Committee, plus a man who has exposed the dairy industry like few others.
1:36.1	Dr. Neil Barnard is back on the show with us today.
1:39.3	And we're going to be talking about casomorphines, saturated fat, hormones, inflammation, and why Americans are
1:46.4	now eating 40 pounds of cheese every single year. So if you've ever said, I could be vegan
1:55.1	except for cheese, well, this episode is for you. So let's dive into it. The Science of Koso right now on the exam room.
2:06.2	Dr. Neil Barnard, thanks again for being here, my friend.
2:08.5	Good to see you, Chuck.
2:09.3	I see you brought some props with you.
	...

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