A by-product of our drought-like conditions is, according the local paper, an increase in the number of rats invading the region.

Some of us think they’re here for our cheese but they won’t get it without a fight! Rats and scientists will tell you – Cheese is Addictive!

Dr. Neal Barnard is the founder and president of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, and he refers to cheese as "dairy crack."

Barnard explains that your brain reads a protein in cheese called casein as an addictive substance. The problem is that the strands of casein don't break down completely in the body, and the fragments can attach to opiate receptors in the brain.

Not to go all science-y on you but the doc says the pieces are called casomorphins, and as the name implies, casomorphins are casein-derived morphine-like compounds. That means it’s like MORPHINE!

The good news is that unlike morphine, cheese delivers a dose of nutrients when you eat it.

UNSPECIFIED - FEBRUARY 17: Brown Norway rat, Norwegian rat, or Wharf rat (Rattus norvegicus), Muridae. (Photo by DeAgostini/Getty Images)
UNSPECIFIED - FEBRUARY 17: Brown Norway rat, Norwegian rat, or Wharf rat (Rattus norvegicus), Muridae. (Photo by DeAgostini/Getty Images)
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The USDA suggests you limit your cheese intake to an ounce and a half per day, due to it's high levels of salt and fat. So you'll want to keep your "addiction" in check, or risk cheese complicated health problems down the line. And not to mention all those rats. (Thrillist)

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