Indulging in food cravings could be more than just a matter of a weak will. After studying the brain activity of women presented with a chocolate milkshake, researchers in the US found that seeing the tempting dessert drink activated the same parts of the brain as a drug addict who sees cocaine.

The Yale University study -- published online this week and due to appear in the August issue of Archives of General Psychiatry -- found that higher food addiction scores correlated with greater activation in certain areas of the brain -- the same areas that light up among people with a substance dependence.