Are We Addicted to Sugar?
Unless you’ve been living under a rock or blissfully never listening to the fear box TV, you’ve probably heard that sugar is as, or more, addicting than “hard” drugs like cocaine and heroin.
Study: Sugar Hidden in junk food eight times more addictive than cocaine
“A junk food addiction is a lot more like a drug addiction than researchers previously thought. They now claim sugar is eight times more addictive than cocaine.” – ABC13 Houston
Sugar = Heroin, How to Cut Your Addiction – Big Think
Believe me, I have.
In fact, it gets repeated to me on an almost daily basis.
Usually in the form of,
“I can’t lose weight, I’m addicted to sugar.”
“I would eat less but I’m addicted to sugar”
“I know why I’m having trouble losing weight, I’m addicted to sugar”
But is it Really Addiction?
I mean, yeah, people eat a lot of it.
“American consumes 19.5 teaspoons (82 grams) every day.2 That translates into about 66 pounds of added sugar consumed each year, per person.” – Sugarscience. ucsf
But sugar consumption is on the decline as of late.
How can something that’s so available to all of us be so addictive and yet we’re consuming less of it?
Before We Get Started:
I know in todays “climate” words are thrown around without much context and there’s also this weird thing where people redefine words based on their agenda/ opinion/ political affiliation/ etc.
But that’s all bullsh@t.
Words Have Meanings
So if you’re going to use a term we all have to use the same, generally agreed upon/ scientific, definition.
Otherwise, there’s no sense in talking to each other because all communication is meaningless.
So What is Addiction?
Well, there’s no one, agreed upon, definition, even the scientific world.
Which makes it a real bitch when you’re trying to figure out exactly what addiction is.
But this is the one I thought best fit:
“Elements of addiction derived from a literature search that uncovered 52 studies include: (a) engagement in the behavior to achieve appetitive effects, (b) preoccupation with the behavior, (c) temporary satiation, (d) loss of control, and (e) suffering negative consequences.” – Considering the Definition of Addiction
Meet those 5 criteria, and you’ve (probably) got an addiction.
So we need to decide if the evidence (not our opinion) points to sugar meeting these/ the criteria of addiction.
At the very least the standard needs to be more than, “I really like to eat cake”.
Something physiologically beyond our typical likes and lack of self-control.
Sugar needs to be driving us to consume more for addiction to be present.
How We Got Here:
Dopamine, Brain Imaging and Rats
When you read many of the “Sugar is Addictive” fear mongering literature you keep reading about dopamine.
But what the hell is dopamine?
Dopamine:
“Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that helps control the brain’s reward and pleasure centers. Dopamine also helps regulate movement and emotional responses, and it enables us not only to see rewards, but to take action to move toward them.”- Psychology Today
Dopamine, when released binds to receptors in the nucleus accumbens, the reward system of the brain.
So when we do something we like the brain figures out we want to do that again.
Dopamine is (usually) released in both anticipation of, and because of event in the future. <———its more complex, but for now.
Dopamine and Sugar Intake:
The long and short of it is, eat sugar dopamine is released.
Do hard drugs, dopamine is released.
“It has been noted that the same increase in dopamine D1 receptor binding and decreased D2 receptor binding in the striatum that occur with cocaine administration also occur with intermittent access to sugar or glucose.” –Sugar addiction: Is it real? A narrative
Binge on sugar intermittently, frequently, and eventually, lots of dopamine is released.
At least in rats. <—- Remember this, its’ VERY important for later.
And when sugar is restricted following long-term, intermittent, overconsumption, dopamine really drops.
“It just so happens that after several weeks to months of chronic sugar intake, the period in between sugar intake may cause ‘dopamine deficiency’ in the brain due to downregulation of the dopamine D2 receptors and a reduction in binding of dopamine to those receptors.54 But why is dopamine deficiency in the brain a problem? When the brain is low in dopamine, this can then lead to withdrawals. And it is the withdrawal that can lead to continued perpetual sugar intake leading to addiction.”- Sugar addiction: Is it real? A narrative
So regular, although intermittent, high dose, sugar intake upregulates (releases and binds) dopamine.
In rats. <———–this is REALLY important.
In some ways this increase in dopamine looks similar to that of “hard” drugs,
” Changes that occur in the brain neuro-chemistry with drugs are similar, although smaller in magnitude, to those that result from sugar intake.”- Sugar addiction: Is it real? A narrative review
So sugar is doing to your brain, what hard drugs do, just, maybe, on a smaller scale.
Look at What You’ve Done to Your Brain, Just Look at It:
Everything you think, do, interact with, dream about…everything, all day creates brain activity stimulating different regions of the brain to a different extend depending on a number of factors (that, i’m not going into, cause we all have to get back to life).
And When We Eat?
The pleasure centers become more active.
If you’re obese, they become really active.
“Recent findings using positron emission tomography (PET) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in humans have supported the idea that aberrant eating behaviors, including those observed in obesity, may have similarities to drug dependence. Craving-related changes in fMRI signal have been identified in response to palatable foods, similar to drug craving.” – Evidence for sugar addiction: Behavioral and neurochemical effects of intermittent, excessive sugar intake
Eat Sugar?
The nucleus accumbens (pleasure center) of the brain lights up.
But that doesn’t really mean anything.
There’s No Context.
“Light up”, become “activated”, compared to what?
Because EVERYTHING IN LIFE LIGHTS UP A REGION OF THE BRAIN
It’s not that regions of the brain are activated, it’s what regions and to what extent, when and for how long.
With Ingestion of Sugar?
Well, it depends.
Glucose:
“the researchers scanned the volunteers’ brains twice: once after they drank a glucose drink and once after a fructose drink, both of which contained the same number of calories. They discovered that glucose, but not fructose, reduced brain activity in areas that control appetite and the response to pleasurable aspects of food. The volunteers also reported feeling fuller and more satisfied after drinking glucose. These findings suggest that glucose triggers the brain to reduce the urge to eat.” –Understanding the Brains Response to Sugar
So it looks like it’s not the glucose that is creating an addiction.
If anything glucose is reducing the urge to consume more.
It’s the Fructose Stupid
Maybe, but here’s a fun thing.
Fructose is one of the sugars found in fruit.
Albeit in relatively small amounts compared to, lets say, candy.
But as far as nature is concerned, it’s there and nowhere else.
So, if I was a betting man, I would say.
If fructose stimulated hunger, than fructose would better fit the model of addiction, and
Fruit Would Make a Great Drug Pusher
And since we know, excess calories leads to weight gain, fructose through excess fruit consumption would be a driver of weight gain and obesity…
Except it’s not.
In fact it appears to be the opposite:
“considering the amount of simple sugars found in fruit, it is reasonable to expect that their consumption should contribute to obesity rather than weight reduction. However, epidemiological research has consistently shown that most types of fruit have anti-obesity effects.”- Paradoxical Effects of Fruit on Obesity
You know how I love me some fake research epidemiological research.
But I would say, this is one of the rare cases that this type of research, to show an association across a population is pretty useful.
Sure, it doesn’t show a mechanism of action, and there are lots of unaccounted for variables.
But if we presuppose simple sugar (fructose and glucose) intake is addictive, then people should be driven to consume a lot of it and fruit would easily provide that sugar fix.
Fruit isn’t calorie free, far from it.
So it’s VERY conceivable that if you gorged yourself on fruit all day, you’d increase your chances of being obese.
Plus, fruit probably has the benefit of being a more societally acceptable way to administer the drug (sugar) than if you were slamming Skittles all day.
Lets face it, not to many people will tell you you’re eating too many grapes….
But the OPPOSITE effect seems to take place.
While straight fructose is probably not the greatest thing to shovel in your mouth for other reasons.
I’m thinking fruit that clearly contains both glucose and fructose, ie simple sugar, are not really fitting the criteria for “addictive”.
How Come All the Research Says We’re Addicted To Sugar?
Well, not all does.
As we’ve learned before, unless you’re actively seeking out the literature, you’re probably getting a very small snippet of what’s actually being published,
Not to mention the unpublished research that’s not “sexy” enough to make a journal.
And don’t get me started on the research that can’t be replicated.
As we’ve seen, the most extraordinary results are most often the results we hear on the TV and Radio.
Extraordinary results are the most fragile.
And almost all of the “Sugar Addiction” research suffers from a fatal flaw.
We’re Not Rats
See, the research doesn’t actually say that HUMANS are addicted to sugar.
Most of the research (read the damn papers) that form to the “Sugar is Addictive” claim was conducted on rats and extrapolated to humans because some the neurotransmitters released and brain imaging looks similar in many cases.
And the researchers had to do some, lets call it, “massaging” to create those outcomes.
Fun things like,
Manipulate the Feedings:
“these (addiction like) behaviors are only engendered in a specific intermittent access regime, which seems critical to their development, as these behaviors are not seen in animals given ad libitum access to sugar.” – Sugar Addiction: The State of the Science
Ad libitum, ie whenever the hell you want some.
So when the rats could get the drug, sugar, whenever they wanted it…they didn’t develop an addiction.
But when sugar was given intermittently they developed “addiction”.
So you’re telling me that, animals innately driven to survival, when you restrict calories, when they DONT KNOW WHERE THE NEXT MEAL WILL COME FROM, they anticipate and overconsume calories (sugar) when available.
Ok…..addiction it must be. <——–I’m addicted to not starving too.
And even the rats in the studies were cherry picked,
Pre-selected based on Known Genetic Preferences:
“in many studies claiming to find sugar addiction in rodents, researchers pre-select animals for the study which already have a strong response to sugar.” – Is Sugar Addictive? Probably Not Says Cambridge Neuroscientist
Devaluation:
Devaluation is a simple thing, make it kinda awful to get what you want.
It’s the whole idea of, press the button to get a treat, but you get an electric shock, or some other awful devaluing occurrence, with the treat.
Do you still press the button?
Is the treat worth it?
How much shock we talking about here?
At what level of shock are you willing to stop?
Well the sugar addicted rats wouldn’t even endure a little discomfort to get high:
“Presentation of an aversive conditioned stimulus suppressed drug seeking in rats with limited cocaine self-administration experience, but no longer did so after an extended cocaine-taking history. In contrast, after equivalent extended sucrose experience, sucrose seeking was still suppressed by an aversive conditioned stimulus.” – Vanderschuren LJ1, Everitt BJ.
Unless the high was from cocaine.
Give the rats cocaine long enough…they eventually take the shock.
The sugar addicts weren’t even willing to vomit for their sugar fix:
“Rodents with extended access to sugar remain susceptible to devaluation procedures, such as the addition of a nausea-inducing agent, whereas cocaine- or heroin-addicted animals continue to pursue the drug despite negative consequences.” – Sugar Addiction: The State of the Science
Drug addicted rats?
They barf their lungs out for cocaine or heroin.
Kinda like how real world HUMAN drug addicts are willing to do things that have obvious, known, often immediate, detrimental outcomes to get their fix.
But What About The Dopamine?
Yeah, dopamine rises when we eat sugar.
But lots of other things result in dopamine release and activate the same centers in the brain, the same way.
Yes, if you eat cake, and you like cake, you light up the dopamine (pleasure) centers of the brain in a similar way to other chemicals that can be addicting but that alone doesn’t mean you’re addicted.
With Hard Drugs the Dopamine Release is Larger and Lasts Longer.
“dopamine release in the shell of the nucleus accumbens habituates rapidly in response to the consumption of sugar and other palatable foods, but not to addictive drugs, including morphine, alcohol and nicotine.” – Food and Drug Addictions: Similarities and Differences
So, humans release dopamine when they eat foods they like, just like the rats.
But dopamine habituates, the effect lessens, it returns to baseline, as it should.
That doesn’t happen to the coke head rats,
“Under ad libitum conditions, rats dramatically increase cocaine intake initially, and, although bingeing becomes variable, rats continue to binge throughout the 72-h period”- Sugar addiction: the state of the science
The rats don’t become satiated when they have at will access to cocaine they keep the dopamine levels surging, unlike sugar,
“This effect does not appear in either control or ad libitum sugar access animals, and as with most foods, the DA response to sugar quickly habituates [73, 74]. Thus, a drug-like DA (dopamine) response to sugar is only observed in the intermittent binging paradigm, suggesting a critical role of the paradigm.”- Sugar addiction: the state of the science
Maybe there’s more to dopamine than something this simple, it rewards pleasure explanation….
“With all of these wonderful, interesting things that dopamine does, it gets my goat to see dopamine simplified to things like “attention” or “addiction.” After all, it’s so easy to say “dopamine is X” and call it a day. It’s comforting. You feel like you know the truth at some fundamental biological level, and that’s that. And there are always enough studies out there showing the role of dopamine in X to leave you convinced. But simplifying dopamine, or any chemical in the brain, down to a single action or result gives people a false picture of what it is and what it does.“– Slate
And the Brain Scans?
Well sugar and drugs do both activate the same area of the brain, the nucleus accubens.
But different parts,
“different areas of the brain are activated in rodents when they crave food compared to when they crave drugs. While both types of cravings activate the nucleus accumbens (a brain region associated with motivation and the reward system) they activate different parts of the nucleus accumbens. “- U of Cambridge
The Biggest Problem With the Sugar Addicted Rat Studies Is?
They’re conducted in a magical fairytale land.
You, I, we all have access to really shitty awesome tasting, sugar laden, food
ALL DAY LONG
The freaking definition of Ad Libitum
What’s a bag of sugar cost?
A buck?
*At the time of publishing this, the above bag of PURE SUGAR on Amazon is about $20.
If sugar was really addicting shouldn’t they charge more?
Profits would be better….
Shouldn’t Starbucks be asking you if you would like some coffee in your Super Grande Glucose?
It seems like such a highly addictive substance would have us literally battling it out at the supermarket to get your fix.
But that’s not the case.
No one is losing their job because of the negative life consequences of an uncontrolled Jolly Rancher bender.
Eating, Not Sugar, Is Probably The “Addiction”:
If we’re actually addicted to eating, I would question, but lets roll with it for a minute.
Overweight people eat too much and they do show increased neural activity when presented with food that is similar to what happens to drug addicts in anticipation of drugs:
“compulsive food consumption may be driven in part by an enhanced anticipation of the rewarding properties of food.13 Similarly, addicted individuals are more likely to be physiologically, psychologically, and behaviorally reactive to substance-related cues.63,64 This process may be due in part to incentive salience, which suggests that cues associated with the substance (in this case food) may begin triggering the release of dopamine and driving consumption.65,66 Brain regions associated with dopaminergic release also showed significantly greater activation during cue exposure in participants with high FA. The possibility that food-related cues may develop pathological properties is especially concerning in the current food environment where palatable foods are constantly available and heavily marketed.” – Neural Correlates of Food Addiction
But it’s not, sugar, fat, protein.
It’s all of the above.
It’s the palatability of food we’re driven to, not a single nutrient.
We Like Food That Tastes Good.
That usually means high fat, high sugar and we have it available to us, on the cheap, all the time.
You’re not addicted to Pop Tarts, pizza and Royal Farms fried chicken.
They all just taste better than a can of green beans.
In fact, palatability, not sugar content, has been shown to be the driver of food consumption when food is available whenever the f@ck you want it ad libitum. <—– we also call this REAL LIFE
We’re more likely addicted to the behavior of eating rather than sugar.
“Addicted” to eating highly palatable food.
Not a particular food or nutrient (except Carvel Ice Cream Cake, it’s straight crack):
“The term ‘food addiction’ is now a part of everyday language. Vocabulary such as “chocoholic” (in use since the 1960s) and “craving” – used to refer to a person’s desire and fondness for food– is in common use, and many people believe these conditions approach the severity of an addiction (Bird et al., 2013). Undoubtedly, some people believe that their relationship with problem foods constitutes an addiction, and engage with treatment regimens or approach help groups such as Food Addicts Anonymous– established in 1987. With addiction-related terminology in com-mon use, and treatment, support and recipe books available for “food addicts” it is unsurprising that the media have accepted “food addiction” as fact, with one broadcaster (BBC), for example, having more than 40 news stories related to “food addiction” on its website. We concur with Hone-Blanchet and Fecteau (2014) that it is premature to conclude validity of the food addiction pheno-type in humans from the current behavioral and neurobiological evidence gained in rodent models. Humans who overeat usually do not restrict their diets to specific nutrients; instead the availability of a wider range of palatable foods appears to render prone subjects vulnerable to overeating“- Eating addiction”, rather than “food addiction”, better captures addictive-like eating behavior.
Who Cares if It’s Labeled Sugar Addiction or Not, I’m Still Fat?
Well, I care.
There is a real difference between having an addiction and wanting something.
And to equate wanting something with addiction is a cop-out and it takes power away from you.
You’re not addicted to any food.
Probably not addicted to eating either.
It’s probably just a habit, and when you indulge in the habit, you, we, me, we’re all driven to choose highly palatable, sugar and fat dense foods.
Simply because we like how they taste and we don’t want to tell ourselves no.
We Don’t Have a Sugar Addiction
This sums it up for me,
“Extending addiction to food in this way also risks trivializing serious addictions, or it might make certain foods (i.e., ‘addictive foods’) seem even more difficult to resist. It could even have all of these unintended effects…… Likewise, using ‘craving,’ to describe having a strong desire to eat chocolate, ‘bingeing’ to describe consuming a large (or not so large) meal, and being a ‘food addict’ to describe being prone to excessive eating, prompts different perceptions of these rather ordinary experiences. The concern is that conceptualizing excessive eating as food addiction neither explains excessive eating nor offers strategies for successfully reducing excessive eating.” – Rogers
And Rogers closes with this:
“We must learn to handle words effectively; but at the same time we must preserve and, if necessary, intensify our ability to look at the world directly and not through the half-opaque medium of concepts, which distorts every given fact into the all too familiar likeness of some generic label or explanatory abstraction.”– From The Doors of Perception, by Aldous Huxley.
*A lot of the research for this article was made much easier due to this article, No, You’re Not Addicted to Sugar from James Krieger
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