Processed foods and drinks that contain sugars -- and, presumably, synthetic sweeteners -- trick the human body into believing that it's still hungry, says Dr. Robert Lustig, a pediatrician writing in the medical journal, Nature Clinical Practice Endocrinology and Metabolism.

These additives affect insulin levels, which in turn control appetite and the production of dopamine that stimulates the 'rush' we get from food. As a result, Dr. Lustig believes that processed foods are quite literally addictive.

Hormonal imbalances caused by toxic food accounts for the obesity epidemic that now afflicts the entire industrialized world. At least two-thirds of U.S. citizens are overweight and one-third are obese.

Another recent study, this one appearing in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, described how a single can of soda, if consumed every day, can add 15 pounds of fat in a year.

Dr. Lustig claims that because "of this toxic environment in food," no weight loss program can be effective in the longterm "unless you improve the toxic environment as well." That means completely eliminating all synthetic additives from your diet.