This everyday cheese could be as addictive as heroin

By Angeli Kakade, Buzz 60

There's a cheese out there that has more calories than a soda and more sodium than potato chips... and it's probably in your fridge as we speak.

It turns out, everyone's favorite cheddar cheese is as addicting as heroin.

In all fairness, we're talking Velveeta here, so take the potato chip link with a grain of you know what.

In his new book, Dr. Neal Barnard claims all cheese is addictive, "because the dairy proteins inside can act as mild opiates... as a result, each bite of cheese produces a tiny hint of dopamine."

Did you celebrate National Cheese Day?

Don't worry though, your kids are unlikely to get high from their after school snack.

Still, Barnard's point is clear and is on par with other studies that link obesity rates with the rise in America's cheese consumption.

USA Today reports that according to the US Department of Agriculture, Americans took in 11 pounds of cheese in 1970 and 35 pounds in 2015.

Mozzarella takes a big chunk of those 35 pounds, but don't blame the pizza.

There is enough evidence Barndard says that suggests Americans should really step away from the cheese - and maybe onto a treadmill?