In mice there are evidence that separate basal ganglia circuitries are responsible for the hedonic and nutritional actions of sugar. If sweetness or nutritional signals engage distinctive brain pathways to motivate ingestion is still a matter of debate. Sugar may be addictive through potent reinforcing effects via both gustatory and post-ingestive pathways. “’Sugar addiction’ is a subtype of food addiction which is considered to be defined by overconsumption of highly processed foods with rich sugar content. Medical Review Throws Doubt on Sugar AddictionĬonsidering what we know about the addictive nature of sugar, it’s somewhat surprising then to find a Romanian paper in the Frontiers of Psychiatry, published January 10, 2022, which claims there’s not enough evidence to support a medical diagnosis of sugar addiction in humans:6 The drawback of this protective mechanism is that you now need a higher dose of the substance to get the same pleasure response, and this is a key mechanism by which addiction develops. Reduced receptor availability is a sign of overstimulation, because when the brain gets overstimulated, it downregulates these receptors to prevent damage. In layman terms, sugar consumption triggered the release of natural opioids and dopamine in the animals’ brains, thus lowering the availability of those receptors. Even a single exposure to sucrose produced as much as a 14% drop in carfentanil binding (a beta-opioid receptor agonist) in certain parts of the brain, consistent with opioid release. Using PET imaging along with beta-opioid and dopamine receptor agonists, the researchers were able to show how sucrose affects the brain chemistry in miniature pigs. As noted in a November 2019 study,3,4,5 “Excessive sucrose consumption elicits addiction-like craving that may underpin the obesity epidemic.” One substance long suspected of addictive potential is sugar. Interestingly, research has repeatedly demonstrated that food addiction is virtually indistinguishable from the addiction to drugs. Using a clinical scale called the Yale Food Addiction Severity Scale (YFAS), which was constructed to match the DSM IV criteria for substance addiction, a January 2022 study found up to 20% of the general population could be diagnosed with food addiction.2 Researchers therefore believe fat ameliorates some of the addictive effects of sugarįood addiction, defined as an “eating behavior involving the overconsumption of specific foods in an addiction-like manner,”1 is a common problem. Sweet foods that are also high in fat do not trigger the opiate-like withdrawal symptoms typically seen in animals that binge on sugar.Hyperpalatable processed foods, which typically contain a carefully orchestrated combination of salt, sugar, artificial flavors and fat, have also been linked to food addiction.
The drawback is that you now need a higher dose of the substance to get the same pleasure response, and this is a key mechanism by which addiction develops This is a protective mechanism designed to protect your brain from damage due to overstimulation. Sugar consumption triggers release of natural opioids and dopamine in your brain, lowering availability of those receptors.Research has repeatedly demonstrated that food addiction is virtually indistinguishable from the addiction to drugs.Food addiction is defined as an “eating behavior involving the overconsumption of specific foods in an addiction-like manner.” Up to 20% of the general population may have food addiction.
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