The Sugar Addiction
Halloween
was just a couple of days ago; it is that candy industry’s golden boy of
holidays. More candy is purchased and
consumed in October than the rest of the year combined. While I see nothing wrong with an occasional
sugar fix there is a real danger that is being acknowledged; sugar
addiction. It may seem silly to suggest
but there is a growing body of research showing that sugar addiction is
real. It may be part of the reason that health
in this country is in an out of control downward spiral.
So,
not sure if sugar addiction is real?
Let’s take a look at two studies that are showing that it is in fact
very real. The first study was a
combined effort in 2010 by the Oregon Research Institute and the University of
Texas. Twenty-six overweight young women
underwent brain MRIs while drinking a milkshake. Six months later the scans were repeated,
again with the women drinking milkshakes during the scan. The first notable thing is that the women who
gained weight during the six month period showed a decrease in the activity of
the striatum region of the brain. The
striatum is responsible for recognizing and acknowledging rewards or positive
stimulations. The same response is seen
in the brains of chronic substance abuse such as alcohol or illicit drugs. What
this means is that a weight gain decreases sensitivity to sugar and the brain
requires more sugar: greater stimulation or a stronger ‘fix’ in order to
initiate a response. The women in this
study whom did not gain weight did not show this decreased sensitivity. Researchers specifically compared the effects
to be similar to what chronic cocaine use does to the brain.
Also,
in 2010 a study was conducted at Princeton University using rats. In this study rats were gradually given
increasing amounts of sugar water instead of regular water. As the amounts of sugar water increased the
rats consumption of its normal food decreased.
When the sugar water was taken away and the rats were forced to quit
‘cold turkey’ they exhibited withdrawal symptoms such as anxiety, shakes, and
tremors just like drug addicts. It is
interesting to note from this experiment that the rats were given two different
forms of sugar water: one containing fructose, the naturally occurring sugar in
fruit; and high fructose corn syrup, a processed, artificial sugar. While both types of sugar increased sugar
cravings and withdrawal symptoms only the High Fructose Corn Syrup made the
rats obese. No significant weight gain
was observed with the rats during the natural sugar consumption. Similar to this study, a 2007 study done in
France found that rats preferred sugar over cocaine when tested to determine
which was more addictive.
So
what should a person do if they think they may have a problem with sugar
addiction? First of all understand that
not all food craving are bad. If the
body is severely deprived of something that it truly needs than the brain will
start desiring it. Before giving into a
food craving, especially a sugar –craving know that processed sugars are the
most common craving that the body has, and are the unhealthiest. The less processed sugar that you consume the
fewer cravings will occur. It is a
cycle; consume less, less cravings, consume more, more cravings. Processed sugars more than any natural
occurring food increase serotonin levels; the feel-good hormone; but, they
increases are short-lived and the crash leaves a person feeling worse off than
before. Cravings can sometimes be caused
by neurochemical or hormonal imbalances.
If a particular unhealthy craving occurs daily or, more than once a day,
it may be worth discussing with a doctor.
Here are some simple things that can be done to help control those
cravings:
1. Drink a glass of water
and wait fifteen minutes. Many times
people confuse thirst with hunger.
Dehydration can spark a craving.
2. If still craving have
fruit instead of processed sugar this will satisfy the sweet craving without
the junk that will harm your health.
3. Get up and go for a
walk. Just 10 minutes of exercise can
kill the craving and burn a few excess calories instead of consuming them.
4. Brush the teeth and
gargle with mouthwash, nothing tastes good immediately after that
5. Drink at least 64 ounces
of water per day
In case you may have low serotonin levels
causing the cravings try the following suggestions to naturally increase
serotonin levels and discuss it with your doctor:
- · Avoid any known food allergins, especially if you have a food allergy to gluten or dairy products
- · Avoid alcohol, it lowerd serotonin levels
- · Don’t smoke
- · Increase sunlight expose by spending 1-2 hours a day outside
- · Get 60 minutes of moderate exercise
- · Get eight hours of sleep per night
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