Is Sugar Addictive?

We think it is. We have enough scientific evidence now to tell us that we can train ourselves to crave, to build tolerance and to experience withdrawal when we ingest a lot of refined sugar. These are the hallmarks of addiction. Craving, tolerance and withdrawal.

Dr. Serge Ahmed, of Bordeaux, France, has been working with rats and giving them the choice between cocaine and sugar. Guess what wins, time and again? That's right, sugar. The sweet taste of sugar is more rewarding than the high of cocaine.

Some people know they are sugar addicts and cannot handle it at all. They know because they can't stop eating it once they start. They crave sugary foods and they need more and more to feel satisfied. They also experience withdrawal if they stop eating sugar.

We believe this is because of the effect sugar has on the brain. Sugar, like drugs of abuse, produces dopamine in the brain. The body's own happy, feel good, chemical. For some true sugar addicts, they need this to feel OK. When they eat sugar, they feel good. When it wears off, they need more. If they stop sugar for a period of time, their brains will begin to produce dopamine on their own. This takes some time, however. The problem lies in the fact that much of our default food is high in refined sugar and carbohydrates. Trying to avoid it, is very difficult. That combined with the discomfort of withdrawal, keeps many sugar addicts trapped in their addiction.

We are still learning about the science of this. Meanwhile, I'd like to show you some pictures (thanks to my friends at Sugar Stacks) that illustrate how much sugar is in the foods we eat. These are very graphic images, so be warned.

One half cup serving vs. one pint of Ben and Jerry's.

One 8oz. glass vs. the 16oz. container of chocolate milk

Starbuck's frappuccino.

McDonald's triple chocolate shake.

1 cup of sliced apples vs. 1 whole medium apple

Alarmed by what you have just seen? You should be. Refined sugar is relatively new in our diets. Compared to what our genes are prepared to handle, this is above and beyond what is biologically good for us. This one last image is how many carrots you would need to eat to equal the refined sugar in this product:

I hope this has been educational for you. Be healthy!!!

If you'd like to participate in the research for Irene's new book about the process of weight loss, please visit http://www.eatingdisordertherapist.com/index.htm and take the survey.

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Comments

[melmoid]

Refined sugar is deadly for a diabetic. I have to shop carefully to find foods that limit or eliminate processed sugars.

[cktirumalai]

If I limit refined sugar to coffee and cereal, I do not develop a sugar craving. But if I start on a pie and eat one a day for several days, I find it difficult to stop doing so. There must be a physiological mechanism at work, which produces the craving. Instead of an apple a day it becomes an apple pie a day. The trick is not to start in the first place. Unfortunately a quite rich dessert is considered "de rigeur" in several circles, as though a meal would be incomplete without it. The threat of diabetes and the prospect of sugarless existence is enough to keep me on the straight and narrow. Also daily exercise, which in my case means a long walk , blunts my craving for refined sugar.

[TheBlackCat]

I know exactly what you mean. I don't drink soda, take my coffee black, and greatly limit my intake of sugar and processed foods, and I don't get cravings. However, once I indulge in something for a day or two (say a party, with some left over cake in the fridge...) then I get cravings to keep eating that stuff. I have to really FORCE myself to not do so for another few days before the cravings go away again.

[SpiralDenial]

I understand and appreciate your basic message, but with no explanations or captions the photos mainly tell us nothing at all. For example, the bowl of ice cream vs. Ben and Jerry's. What is that supposed to convey? What's in the bowl? What is Ben and Jerry's being compared to?

Yoplait vs. a bowl of something? Yoplait has sugar in it but bowls of something don't? What's in the bowl and why does it have no sugar cubes?

And above all, the sliced apple vs. the whole apple? That one has me totally stumped. Are you suggesting that slicing apples increases sugar content?

Captions and explanations are good things that make photos make sense.

[Irene Rubaum-Keller - Huffpost Blogger]

Thanks for pointing that out Spiral. I have labeled everything except the yoplait which is just the yogurt from the container in a bowl. Hope that helps!

[gfk]

Thank you for this Irene. This is very informative!