Sometimes after a long day we just need sugar! Sugar is part of our daily lives and does not just mean “something sweet”. It includes bread, chips, flour dumplings, bammy, and all those other yummy carbs.
So why is sugar bad for you if it tastes so darn good? After all, it is a carbohydrate and is one of the five major food groups. All carbs are eventually converted to glucose, which is what the body uses for energy. However, if you have too much glucose in your blood, this is converted to a storage carbohydrate called glycogen, and even greater amounts of glucose will be changed to fat.
The grim reality is that sugar, especially refined sugar, make us feel good. And, according to studies, sugar is the most abused drug in today’s modern society, as it is a highly addictive substance. Refined sugar refers to any forms of sugar that does not come from natural foods, but have been processed in some way to ‘refine’ them. They are found in sodas, cakes, white breads, pastas, ketchup – and the list goes on.
An addiction can be defined as anything that one must have in order to avoid a negative feeling or symptom. A person feels better with the addictive substance, but the feeling is short-lived and damages the body.
Unfortunately, there is no easy way to measure sugar addiction. You can’t simply do a blood test to determine if you are addicted. The diagnosis is based on behavioral symptoms. It may be that you simply must eat something sweet after each meal. This could be sweetened coffee, a piece of chocolate or a doughnut.
Researchers have shown that sugar is more addictive than cocaine. The same investigators offered rats a choice of cocaine or sugar, and they chose sugar.
Why you are addicted
There is actually a scientific reason as to why you are finding it hard to stay away from the sugary stuff. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter produced in that part of the brain associated with reward. Dopamine is one of those ‘feel good’ chemicals also present in some antidepressants. This chemical is also released when you eat sugar. That pleasure-seeking centre of your brain lights up and enjoys the feeling, causing your brain to crave even more dopamine. Hard drugs such as heroin, cocaine and morphine all stimulate exactly the same receptors in your brain.
To make it even worse, over time your body needs to consume more and more of the “drug” in order to achieve the same level of dopamine in the brain. So if on day one just one cookie satisfied you, by day three you may actually need two cookies to give you that same level of satisfaction and pleasure as on day one. This is a well-known feature of drug abuse. People need progressively larger doses of drugs because the brain gets accustomed to a certain level of dopamine.
Dopamine is not the only brain chemical that is being adjusted by sugar. Major neurochemicals such as serotonin and endorphins are also altered. Serotonin is also a “feel good’ neurotransmitter. Beta endorphin acts as a natural painkiller, and so our brain releases it when we are in any physical pain, but also when we consume sugar. With all the stress involved in living a 21st century life, it’s no wonder we are slaves to sugar.
Purchase issue #8 Vol. 7, to continue reading.
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Sometimes after a long day we just need sugar! Sugar is part of our daily lives and does not just mean “something sweet”. It includes bread, chips, flour dumplings, bammy, and all those other yummy carbs.
So why is sugar bad for you if it tastes so darn good? After all, it is a carbohydrate and is one of the five major food groups. All carbs are eventually converted to glucose, which is what the body uses for energy. However, if you have too much glucose in your blood, this is converted to a storage carbohydrate called glycogen, and even greater amounts of glucose will be changed to fat.
The grim reality is that sugar, especially refined sugar, make us feel good. And, according to studies, sugar is the most abused drug in today’s modern society, as it is a highly addictive substance. Refined sugar refers to any forms of sugar that does not come from natural foods, but have been processed in some way to ‘refine’ them. They are found in sodas, cakes, white breads, pastas, ketchup – and the list goes on.
An addiction can be defined as anything that one must have in order to avoid a negative feeling or symptom. A person feels better with the addictive substance, but the feeling is short-lived and damages the body.
Unfortunately, there is no easy way to measure sugar addiction. You can’t simply do a blood test to determine if you are addicted. The diagnosis is based on behavioral symptoms. It may be that you simply must eat something sweet after each meal. This could be sweetened coffee, a piece of chocolate or a doughnut.
Researchers have shown that sugar is more addictive than cocaine. The same investigators offered rats a choice of cocaine or sugar, and they chose sugar.
Why you are addicted
There is actually a scientific reason as to why you are finding it hard to stay away from the sugary stuff. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter produced in that part of the brain associated with reward. Dopamine is one of those ‘feel good’ chemicals also present in some antidepressants. This chemical is also released when you eat sugar. That pleasure-seeking centre of your brain lights up and enjoys the feeling, causing your brain to crave even more dopamine. Hard drugs such as heroin, cocaine and morphine all stimulate exactly the same receptors in your brain.
To make it even worse, over time your body needs to consume more and more of the “drug” in order to achieve the same level of dopamine in the brain. So if on day one just one cookie satisfied you, by day three you may actually need two cookies to give you that same level of satisfaction and pleasure as on day one. This is a well-known feature of drug abuse. People need progressively larger doses of drugs because the brain gets accustomed to a certain level of dopamine.
Dopamine is not the only brain chemical that is being adjusted by sugar. Major neurochemicals such as serotonin and endorphins are also altered. Serotonin is also a “feel good’ neurotransmitter. Beta endorphin acts as a natural painkiller, and so our brain releases it when we are in any physical pain, but also when we consume sugar. With all the stress involved in living a 21st century life, it’s no wonder we are slaves to sugar.
Purchase issue #8 Vol. 7, to continue reading.
Share this post: