There are few foods that could satisfy me on a daily basis, but pizza is one of them.

Interestingly, pizza was recently ranked as the food most associated with indicators of addiction, according to a recent study. But what is it specifically about pizza that makes it so universally craved?

Pizza is the No. 1 'addictive' food

In a recent study, pizza was ranked as the food most associated with symptoms of addiction, according to the Yale Food Addiction Scale, a tool that assesses the diagnostic criteria for substance-use disorders in reference to highly processed foods.

The psychological response to pizza's ingredient combinations is partially explained by the fact that highly processed foods like pizza, with added amounts of fat, refined carbohydrates and salt, are most associated with behavioral indicators of addiction, such as loss of control over consumption, cravings and continued consumption despite negative consequences, according to Erica M. Schulte, a doctoral candidate in clinical psychology at the University of Michigan who authored the recent study.

The combination of pizza's ingredients "seem to be especially rewarding and do not occur together in foods found in nature ... and this may contribute to its association with addictive-like eating behaviors," Schulte explained.

Read the full article at CNN.