{"id":957,"date":"2014-06-11T19:18:40","date_gmt":"2014-06-11T18:18:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thehealthsciencesacademy.org\/?p=957"},"modified":"2021-05-25T18:22:33","modified_gmt":"2021-05-25T17:22:33","slug":"is-sugar-an-addictive-drug","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thehealthsciencesacademy.org\/health-tips\/is-sugar-an-addictive-drug\/","title":{"rendered":"Is sugar an addictive drug?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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by The Health Sciences Academy\u00a0\u2014 Get free science updates <\/span>here<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

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Those who have a \"sweet tooth\", which in fact is most of us, are being closely studied by scientists.<\/p>\n

They tell us that most of us have a food addiction of some sort. Even thin<\/em> people!<\/p>\n

In fact, they've found many similarities between substance abuse and sugar consumption.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n\n
\n \n
<\/p>\n

What are the common elements of a substance addiction?<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Loss of control<\/li>\n
  2. Continued use despite adverse consequences<\/li>\n
  3. Withdrawal symptoms<\/li>\n
  4. Relapse<\/li>\n
  5. Tolerance (need more to feel the same effect)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n
    <\/div>\n

    So, is sugar an addictive drug?<\/h2>\n

    According to researchers at the University of Bordeaux, the answer is yes.<\/em><\/p>\n

    In 2007, they discovered that sugar has a bigger<\/em> impact than hard drugs in the brain:<\/p>\n\n

    \n \n
    <\/p>\n

    Their experiments showed that refined sugar is 4 times more addictive than cocaine!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

    Today, the impact of sweetness on the human brain\u2019s pleasure centres is uncontested.<\/p>\n

    Many other studies compare sugar\u2019s effects to those of \"opiates\", because of sugar\u2019s impact on endorphin function.<\/p>\n

    This means that sugar has a heroin-like effect on your brain, making your endorphin centres get all lit up. Almost like a broken traffic light, flashing all 3 colours at once, because your pleasure centres have now taken over!<\/p>\n\n

    \n \n
    <\/p>\n

    The abnormally high stimulation of these receptors by sugar-rich foods generates excessive reward signals in your brain, which have the potential to override normal self-control mechanisms, leading to addiction.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

    In other words, refined sugar highjacks all the brain receptors that are meant to regulate your appetite. Now, it's not<\/em> hunger but your cravings running the show.<\/p>\n

    Scientists speculate that the sweet receptors (two protein receptors on your tongue) have not adapted to our high-sugar consumption. Even when that sweet flavour is somehow \"hidden\".<\/p>\n

    This goes beyond ice cream or biscuits. We are talking about anything that has added<\/em> sugars too, including Pringles and deli meats like cured ham and pepperoni!<\/p>\n

    The truth is that refined and added sugars make food tastier. And manufacturers have long realised how addictive sugar can be.<\/p>\n

    Most experts believe that refined sugar is fuelling a global obesity pandemic, contributing to 35 million deaths annually worldwide from noncommunicable diseases like diabetes, heart disease and cancer.<\/p>\n

    So the question you need to ask yourself: Is your sugar addiction lack of self-control? Or is it an inevitable consequence of today's food products and hidden sugars in most of them?<\/p>\n

    P.S. Here's the full 2007 study<\/span><\/a><\/span> conducted by the University of Bordeaux (you're most welcome!)<\/p>\n

    P.P.S. CLICK HERE for tips on how to break the sugar habit.<\/a><\/p>\n

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    \r\n <\/div>\r\n
    \r\n
    \r\n <\/div>\r\n<\/div>\n

    Conclusion<\/strong><\/p>\n

    The scientific evidence of sugar's addictive power is irrefutable. Knowing that it's 4 times more addictive than hard drugs makes me realise that self-control and \"mindfulness\" around it may not work.<\/p>\n

    I'll leave you with this for now. But I want to hear from you.<\/strong><\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Do you have a sweet tooth?<\/li>\n
    2. Which foods are your \"weakness\"?<\/li>\n
    3. Do you believe that is lack of self-control... or something else?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      Let me know in the comments below!<\/p>\n

      \r\n
      Did you enjoy this? <\/span>Sign up<\/strong><\/a><\/span> to receive our FREE email updates!<\/span><\/h5>\r\n
      \n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      Those who have a “sweet tooth”, which in fact is most of us, are being closely studied by scientists. They tell us that most of us have a food addiction of some sort. Even thin people! In fact, they’ve found many similarities between substance abuse and sugar consumption. So, is sugar an addictive drug? According […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":959,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[43,276],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nIs sugar an addictive drug?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Is sugar an addictive drug? Researchers found many similarities between substance abuse and sugar consumption. 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