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Addiction

Is Sugar Addictive?

Some say addiction to any food is unlikely. Try telling that to a sweet tooth.

Key points

  • Some researchers say the effects of overusing refined sugar parallel the effects of cocaine or opioid addiction.
  • More research is necessary before we know if overuse of refined sugar leads to a behavioral or chemical addiction.
Myriams-Fotos/Pixabay/Used with Permission
Some researchers compare the overuse of refined sugar to drug addiction.
Source: Myriams-Fotos/Pixabay/Used with Permission

Something happens in the brain of a drug user. Take cocaine, for instance. In the brain, cocaine targets neural circuits responsible for feelings of reward and pleasure. Chronic use of cocaine causes changes in brain cells that can ultimately lead to addiction. Over decades of ongoing study, researchers found that chronic consumption of refined sugar activates the same brain circuits as cocaine and opioids.

Researchers have yet to understand the full neurological and behavioral effects of either cocaine use or sugar consumption, and much of what is known is based on animal studies. As we all know, mice are not humans and the results of animal studies must be duplicated in human studies before they can be considered valid.

Some researchers say "food addiction" is really an eating addiction, a behavioral addiction to the act of eating, rather than a true chemical addiction or substance use disorder. This behavior is not a substance addiction, they say, it is addictive-like behavior.

Other researchers say that in both animal and human studies, sugar gets a similar response in the brain as drugs of abuse. They point out that, for the most part, the neurochemistry and the behavior of a sugar user are strikingly similar to that of a drug user.

In the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), there are no specific criteria for diagnosing a food addiction or an eating addiction. Instead, within the category of Substance-Related and Addictive Disorders, there is a general subcategory of Non-Substance Related Disorders. At this time, however, the only disorder listed as Non-Substance Related is gambling.

Signs of addiction include craving, bingeing, tolerance, withdrawal symptoms, and evidence of reward and opioid effects in the brain. Signs of addictive behavior include spending most of your time thinking about or engaging in the behavior, becoming dependent on the behavior as a way of coping with emotions, continuing the behavior even though you know it is causing physical or mental harm, being unable to stop or cut back even though you want to, feeling symptoms of withdrawal when you try to stop (symptoms may include anger, frustration, or depression), hiding or minimizing the behavior or pretending it doesn’t happen.

Equally controversial is the theory of an addictive personality, the idea that someone can have a set of personality traits, such as impulsivity, thrill-seeking, mood swings, or poor coping skills that makes them more susceptible to addiction than others. Critics of this theory say it is too simplistic and doesn’t account for the complexities of addiction. It also contributes to negative stereotypes and “lumping together” of all people with addictions and prevent some people from recognizing that they have an addiction or getting help because they believe they have innate problems that cannot be overcome.

Both animal and human studies have supplied evidence showing strong similarities between drug abuse and high sugar consumption, from the standpoint of both brain neurochemistry and addictive behavior. Behavioral addictions are also similar to substance-based addictions in just about every way, and both cause difficulties in the user's health, life, and relationships.

Ultimately, a clearer understanding, definition, and agreement on the cause of sugar overconsumption could lead to better, more specific approaches to prevention and treatment. Until that time comes, anyone whose lives are disrupted by addiction—behavioral or chemical—can seek the help of a mental health professional familiar with addiction who can help change problem behaviors and mend personal relationships.

References

Food Addicts Anonymous

https://faacanhelp.org/

Neurobiology of food addiction.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780323910019000359?…

“Eating Addiction” rather than “food addiction” better captures addictive-like eating behavior.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0149763414002140?via…

Gambling disorder and other behavioral addictions: Recognition and treatment.https://journals.lww.com/hrpjournal/Abstract/2015/03000/Gambling_Disord…

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