Is Sugar Addictive?

Is Sugar Addictive?

An addiction is defined by the NHS as a strong, uncontrollable need to take drugs, drink alcohol or carry out a particular activity such as gambling.

By the Oxford dictionary – as a fact or condition of being addicted to a particular substance or activity.  

Many argue we can’t be addicted to food because eating is essential for life, and people eat for many reasons unrelated to their daily energy requirements. Many eat for sport, body composition, guilt, stress, or for pleasure for example.

While others claim that you can get hooked on sugar in particular which lead to endless eating due to the ‘addiction.’

This was posted on my page by an individual who was claiming that all processed sugar in your diet is bad for you as it can cause an addiction.

Sugar Addiction

Let me first start by saying I am no expert in this and so these are my own thoughts and feelings after having done loads of reading. So here is my reply –

First of all I would like to say that most people who claim to have a sugar addiction normally say it laughing and light hearted way. Introduce me to someone with a drug addiction or alcoholic that talks of the addiction in the same manner?

Food addiction seems a rather plausible explanation for the overconsumption fuelling this obesity epidemic. But does it stand up?

Having read the article and paper, I would not argue the fact that consuming food that has a high glycemic index (GI) shake, leads to individuals feeling hungrier a couple of hours after consumption. Especially when compared to those who had consumed the low glycemic index foods. Is all to do with the release of insulin and subsequent drop in blood sugar levels, but in no way does this cause an addiction!

However, do we ever just consume pure sugar? I look to Luke Johnson, of Shredded by Science, who posted about this topic. ‘What people fail to remember is that people eat mixed meals with carbohydrates, fats and protein, this will impact on the GI value. Williams et al (2008) showed that a GI response to the same food in the same person had different responses from one day to the next. (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18186950)

A new randomized crossover design trial looked at a low GI breakfast and a high GI breakfast and the effects they had on both appetite and the amount of food they ate for the rest of the day. The subjects were required to rate their appetite levels every hour for that day. Well contrary to popular belief the high GI groups appetite was significantly lower immediately after their meals and also lower throughout the day compared to the low GI group (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23653284)

There was no significant difference in total calories consumed between the groups. But a limiting factor was that the meals and snacks were prescribed to the subjects to eat. If they had to make personal choices would there have been a different story over a week, a month, a year? So next time you hear someone say that High GI carbs will make you hungrier than low GI carbs think twice.’

An addiction needs to be both physiological and psychological in nature. Addictions have been shown to be dependant on the size of the dose of the substrate. For example everyone that drinks alcohol is not an addict. Alcohol can easily be consumed in moderation and not cause you to become an alcoholic. So when ever examining an addiction the dosage size being consumed must be taken into consideration.

Sugar Research

Much research has been published showing the same responses in the brain when sugar is consumed compared with drugs and these are concluded as proof that sugar is addictive. For example in 2013, a paper concluded ‘Rats find Oreos as addictive as cocaine.’ (1) Having read a lot about the topic over the past 24hrs I have come across a good analogy known as the ‘fruit test.’

Fruit contains sugar, but if I eat an endless amount of that will I become addicted to it? Most definitely not and I can say that from experience, I love fruit, and eat shed loads of it, but am I addicted? Hell no! I do not find myself endless binging on fruit uncontrollably non stop, which is a sign of an addiction, and shown with drug addicts.

To truly examine and test an addiction you need to be able to test an individuals tolerance, withdrawal and overconsumption of that substrate. Just saying that they over consumed the substrate meant they were addicted is not a true sign of addiction, especially when tested in rats, which is what most of the studies have been carried out on.

When someone is exposed to a substrate constantly a tolerance can develop, just like with sugar for example, this results in them requiring more of the substrate. As intake increases a physical dependence can develop as their brain becomes normalised to the new high levels. If the substance is then removed, withdrawal symptoms kick in, and in some cases even life threatening behaviours occurs in order to get the substrate.

This then leads to an addiction, however, there is no evidence showing there is a PHYSICAL dependence on sugar once withdrawn, in any experiments. Now in the study that was shared to my page, none of this was tested and the participants were not withdrawn from the substrate. In tests conducted with rats that have been put through withdrawal, you would expect to seeing behaviour that is targeted towards getting sugar, but this has been observed.

Many of you know I like to advise flexinble dieting in an inclusive nutrient dense diet that is 80% ‘clean’ and 20% ‘unclean.’ Make sure your diet includes the foods & supplements you enjoy. Even eating processed foods, in moderation, allows you to live a balanced lifestyle.

Making your diet sustainable, enjoyable and your fitness goals more achievable.

 

Restricting complete food groups or certain types of foods that you enjoy is only setting yourself up for failure as restriction causes cravings and a mentality to want to binge, due to the rigid dieting guidelines. Resulting in your chucking in the towel, binging, feeling guilty, and the binge-guilt cycle starts.

However, this is not a true addiction, like what is shown in alcoholics or drug addicts, this is an eating disorder – an abnormal attitude towards food that causes someone to change their eating habits and behaviour. Which is no different to someone who completely avoids all processed surgery foods with the fear of becoming addicted, suffering from orthorexia. People will often look for recipes that use protein baking techniques so they can enjoy their ‘treats’ guilt free.

Enjoyed in moderation as part of a fat loss or muscle building diet

Quite simply put there is no search to support a dependence addiction cycle like that developed for alcohol and drugs.

Some Rat Studies FYI
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22155008
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22155008

References –

1. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2013/10/18/rats-find-oreos-as-addictive-as-cocaine-an-unusual-college-research-project/

Follow Scott over on Twitter & Facebook for more fitness tips, and let us know what your macro intake is down in the comments section below.