What is the Oreo diet study and what did it reveal?

October 3, 2025 •

3 min read

In a highly publicized 2024 case study, a lean man on a ketogenic diet lowered his LDL cholesterol by 71% by adding Oreo cookies to his regimen, which he intentionally used as a metabolic demonstration.

Quick Summary

The phrase "Oreo diet study" refers to two distinct scientific events: a 2024 case study on cholesterol reduction in a ketogenic diet context and a 2013 animal study exploring junk food's addictive potential.

Key Points

Two Distinct Studies: There is no single 'Oreo diet study,' but two separate scientific investigations: one on cholesterol (2024) and one on food addiction (2013).
Cholesterol Study Context: The 2024 case study was a metabolic demonstration involving a single, unique subject (a 'Lean Mass Hyper-Responder' on keto) and should not be generalized as health advice.
Addiction Study Subject: The 2013 study on food addiction was conducted on lab rats and found that Oreos activated their brains' reward centers more strongly than cocaine or morphine.
Metabolic Mechanism: The LDL cholesterol reduction in the 2024 study was due to the metabolic shift caused by reintroducing carbohydrates, not any inherent health property of Oreos.
Not a Recommended Diet: Neither study suggests that Oreos are a healthy food or a viable way to manage cholesterol, and long-term refined carbohydrate consumption is discouraged.
Caution Against Clickbait: The viral claims stemming from these studies often ignore the crucial scientific context and limitations of the original research.

The widespread phrase “the Oreo diet study” is often used to describe two separate scientific investigations rather than a single event. One is a controversial 2024 case study on cholesterol and a ketogenic diet, and the other is a 2013 animal study examining the addictive potential of junk food. Both studies garnered significant media attention and were frequently misinterpreted, resulting in viral claims about the health effects or addictive properties of cookies. Understanding the context, methods, and findings of each study is essential for clarity.

The 2024 Cholesterol Case Study

Purpose and Design

Published in Metabolites in January 2024, this crossover experiment by Nicholas Norwitz involved testing the Lipid Energy Model on himself, a 27-year-old 'Lean Mass Hyper-Responder' (LMHR). LMHRs are individuals on low-carb, high-fat diets who experience significant elevations in LDL cholesterol. {Link: mdpi.com https://www.mdpi.com/2218-1989/14/1/73}

The Experiment

Baseline: Norwitz maintained his standard ketogenic diet, showing an LDL-C of 384 mg/dL.
Oreo Phase: For 16 days, he consumed 12 Oreo cookies daily, adding 100 grams of carbohydrates while using exogenous ketones to stay in ketosis.
Washout: A three-month return to his baseline keto diet saw cholesterol levels rise again.
Statin Phase: He took a high-intensity statin (rosuvastatin) for six weeks for comparison.

Results

Oreo Impact: Adding Oreos reduced his LDL-C by 71%, from 384 mg/dL to 111 mg/dL.
Statin Impact: The statin reduced LDL-C by 32.5%.

Interpretation

The Lipid Energy Model suggests that the high-fat burning state of a keto diet in lean individuals increases fatty acid transport, leading to more LDL particles. Reintroducing carbohydrates shifts the body's fuel source to glucose, decreasing the need for fat transport and subsequently lowering LDL-C. The use of Oreos was a deliberate choice to highlight this metabolic mechanism, not a recommendation for dietary changes. This was a specific metabolic demonstration, not general health advice.

The 2013 Rat Addiction Study

Pleasure Response Investigation

A 2013 study by neuroscience students at Connecticut College explored the impact of highly palatable foods on the brain's reward system in rats. The goal was to see if high-fat, high-sugar foods could be as reinforcing as drugs of abuse in an animal model.

Experiment and Findings

Behavioral Test: Rats in a maze spent similar amounts of time on the side with Oreos as drug-addicted rats spent with cocaine or morphine, when given a choice between Oreos and rice cakes.
Brain Imaging: Using immunohistochemistry, researchers found Oreos activated more neurons in the nucleus accumbens (the brain's pleasure center) than injections of cocaine or morphine.

Relevance to Humans

This research does not imply Oreos are chemically as addictive as cocaine for humans. Instead, it demonstrates that hyper-palatable processed foods can strongly activate the brain's reward pathways, potentially contributing to overconsumption and weight gain. The study provides insight into the neurobiological reasons behind the difficulty many people face in resisting certain junk foods.

Comparing the Two Oreo Studies


Aspect	2024 LDL/Cholesterol Study	2013 Rat Addiction Study
Primary Focus	Testing a metabolic theory (Lipid Energy Model) in a single subject.	Investigating the brain's reward response to highly palatable food.
Subject(s)	One human subject, a Lean Mass Hyper-Responder on a ketogenic diet.	Lab rats.
Key Finding	Adding carbs via Oreos significantly lowered LDL cholesterol in an LMHR subject.	Oreos activated the pleasure center in rats' brains more than cocaine or morphine.
Main Takeaway	A metabolic demonstration showing the mechanism behind cholesterol fluctuations in certain keto dieters, not health advice for the general public.	High-fat, high-sugar foods powerfully stimulate the brain's reward system, explaining why they are so hard to resist.
Study Type	Case study crossover experiment.	Animal model, behavioral neuroscience.

Misinterpretation Issues

Both studies have been prone to misinterpretation and sensationalized headlines. The 2024 study led to claims like "Oreos are better than statins!", which ignore the fact that it was a single-subject case study on a specific individual (an LMHR) with a particular metabolic response. The researchers explicitly cautioned against viewing Oreo consumption as a health intervention. Similarly, the 2013 study was oversimplified to suggest Oreos are as addictive as hard drugs, overlooking the difference between powerful reward signals and chemical dependency.

Conclusion

To reiterate, the 'Oreo diet study' refers to two distinct research projects. The 2024 case study demonstrated a metabolic effect of carbohydrate reintroduction on LDL cholesterol in one individual on a ketogenic diet, supporting the Lipid Energy Model. The 2013 animal study showed that Oreos triggered a strong reward response in rat brains, highlighting the powerful appeal of junk food. Neither study supports including cookies in a healthy diet. {Link: mdpi.com https://www.mdpi.com/2218-1989/14/1/73}

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes, a 2024 case study published in the journal Metabolites found that adding Oreo cookies to a ketogenic diet significantly lowered one participant's LDL cholesterol, but this was a metabolic demonstration, not a health recommendation.

No. The 2024 study's authors explicitly state that their findings should not be interpreted as health advice. Long-term consumption of refined carbohydrates is likely to have negative health consequences and should not be considered a treatment for cholesterol.

A 2013 animal study at Connecticut College found that Oreos activated the brain's pleasure center in lab rats more than cocaine or morphine, suggesting highly palatable, high-fat, high-sugar foods have strong reward signals.

No. While the study showed Oreos and cocaine elicited similar reward responses in rats, it does not mean they are chemically identical in terms of addiction in humans. The findings highlight the neurobiological basis for why many people find junk food hard to resist.

For the specific subject (a 'Lean Mass Hyper-Responder') on a ketogenic diet, his body was using fat for fuel, causing an increase in LDL particle production. By reintroducing carbohydrates, the body switched fuel sources, reducing the need for fat transport and lowering his LDL.

An LMHR is an individual on a low-carbohydrate diet, often lean and otherwise metabolically healthy, who experiences an extreme elevation in LDL cholesterol as a result of their body's high-fat fuel metabolism.

It became controversial because it was widely misinterpreted in the media and on social media, leading to sensationalized claims. Many failed to report the crucial context that it was a case study on one specific individual with a unique metabolism.