Do you ever feel like you just can’t stop eating sweet stuff? That you just can’t help yourself when there are biscuits in the cupboard? Perhaps you politely decline some chocolate from a friend, only to think about chocolate non-stop for the rest of the day? Sugary foods can really feel addictive, but what does the science say?
‘NOT SO SWEET – Sugar is as addictive as cocaine – learn how to kick the habit and boost your health’
The sun
Sugar is often touted as a toxic substance and is compared to addictive substances like cocaine. But where does this come from? Researchers have shown that sugar lights up the same reward centres in the brain as drugs do (Hajnal, Smith and Norgen, 2004). So, it would make sense that eating cookies is the same as taking drugs right? Wrong. This kind of dramatic messaging is used to get our attention. And it works! But no, snuggling up and eating chocolate buttons is not the same as taking cocaine (I mean, come on, we know this!). Let’s take a closer look at this study which is so frequently used to demonise sugar.
This study was done on rats. While animal studies can be useful to test out theories and possible reasons behind why something happens, these studies cannot be used to state a theory as fact. In this case, the researchers wanted to test their theory as to why people feel addicted to sugar, on rats.
The main issue, however, is not that it is an animal study, but how the researchers carried out the study. In this study the rats were starved while testing their response to sugar. Have you ever been starving? Perhaps you skipped a meal for a (disordered) diet? Or maybe you forgot to pack lunch on the way to the airport and there’s no time to stop for food. Have you ever experienced the incredible, all-consuming drive to eat whatever food is nearest, now! During these times your body increases your drive to eat food – especially food with a decent amount of fat or sugar in an attempt to make up for the missed meal! This is the state the rats were in.
Human studies have shown that yes, when we are deprived of food, our body can significantly increase our drive to eat (Polivy et al., 2005). One way our body may drive us to food in a food-scarce environment is by increasing the reward for food. In other words, our body might make the reward-response (read: brain trophy) for eating, much bigger. It makes sense then that brain trophies for eating sugary foods in rats or even in humans would be much greater when you are starving than when you have enough to eat. The reward might be so great that it’s similar in the brain to when someone takes a drug like say, cocaine.
Although magazines and other nutritibollocks-spreaders alike love to cling to the ‘sugar is toxic and addictive’ myth, it’s simply not true. The science is clear on this. In 2016 researchers looked into the studies investigating sugar as an addition. They concluded that the science does not support the theory that sugar is an addictive substance (Westwater et al., 2016).
So, the science is clear. That won’t stop some of us truly feeling ‘addicted’ to sugary foods or food in general. This feeling of addiction might make you feel out of control around food, like you can’t trust yourself. This feeling may be a sign that you have a disordered relationship with food. Disordered eating and having a stressful relationship with food is something that seems taboo in today’s society and as a result, it can be hard to find help. If this is something you would like help with, if you want a life no longer ruled by food then reach out. I’d like to invite you to book a free no-obligations discovery call with me. During this call we can discuss what troubles you about your relationship with food and/or your body and how CLN services can help you. If you want to truly transform your relationship with food book a free discovery call using the link below!
References:
‘Sugar is as addictive as cocaine – learn how to kick the habit and boost your health’, The Sun 16/07/22 [Accessed 17/11/2022]. https://www.thesun.co.uk/health/19218889/beat-sugar-addiction-tips/
Hajnal, Smith and Norgren (2004). Oral sucrose stimulation increases accumbens dopamine in the rat.
Polivy et al. (2005). The effect of deprivation on food cravings and eating behaviour in restrained and unrestrained eaters.
Westwater et al. (2016). ‘Sugar Addiction: The State of the science’.
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