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Sugar addiction like drug abuse, study reveals

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  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,013 Member
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    unawind wrote: »
    DrEnalg wrote: »
    Pleasurable activities activate the pleasure centers of the brain. Drugs and eating sugar are pleasurable, which is why people do them.

    So is listening to Mozart, watching a beautiful sunset, or getting a good backrub or a hug from a loved one. I would wager all of these things activate the pleasure circuits in the brain "similar to drugs of abuse." Don't know why this is even surprising or even that interesting.

    Unfortunately there are not entire industries, vending machines or supermarket aisles dedicated to selling back rubs, hugs, kittens or winning bingo. :(

    There are massage parlors and spas all over the place. The entire music industry. The internet is structurally supported by the pleasure of watching cats. There are several Native American tribes whose sole support is selling the thrill of winning at the blackjack tables. I could argue that selling ALL the things that cue the pleasure response and hook us into wanting more & more without even realizing it is the primary focus on all industry.

    Here on Long Island, you can't get through a day without radio, TV, billboards, posters, etc convincing you your life would be better if you bought a soda, got a massage and facial, took a bus up to Connecticut to gamble, and purchased an over-priced pure-bred cat and/or dog then go have a craft brew while listening to a live band.
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,013 Member
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    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    GaleHawkins wrote: »
    richln wrote: »
    Here is the actual study:
    http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0150270

    Thanks for the link to the actual scientific study. While I know in my case my 40 years of craving for carbs faded in a few weeks after I stopped eating sugar and all form of grains but it would still be nice to know why.

    But fat has the same effect on the brain, basically. Not surprising, as it's pleasurable too. (Fat+carbs or fat+salt seem to have the strongest effects.)

    Yeah, I'm all about fat+salt. I can eat a bite-size Milky Way, or a small serving of ice cream and be happy. But chips, fries, bacon, cheese I could eat until I puke. I love lobster because of the dish of melted salted-butter.

    Now I'm hungry...
  • tincanonastring
    tincanonastring Posts: 3,944 Member
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    kimny72 wrote: »
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    GaleHawkins wrote: »
    richln wrote: »
    Here is the actual study:
    http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0150270

    Thanks for the link to the actual scientific study. While I know in my case my 40 years of craving for carbs faded in a few weeks after I stopped eating sugar and all form of grains but it would still be nice to know why.

    But fat has the same effect on the brain, basically. Not surprising, as it's pleasurable too. (Fat+carbs or fat+salt seem to have the strongest effects.)

    Yeah, I'm all about fat+salt. I can eat a bite-size Milky Way, or a small serving of ice cream and be happy. But chips, fries, bacon, cheese I could eat until I puke. I love lobster because of the dish of melted salted-butter.

    Now I'm hungry...

    oh-yes.gif
  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,126 Member
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    unawind wrote: »
    DrEnalg wrote: »
    Pleasurable activities activate the pleasure centers of the brain. Drugs and eating sugar are pleasurable, which is why people do them.

    So is listening to Mozart, watching a beautiful sunset, or getting a good backrub or a hug from a loved one. I would wager all of these things activate the pleasure circuits in the brain "similar to drugs of abuse." Don't know why this is even surprising or even that interesting.

    Unfortunately there are not entire industries, vending machines or supermarket aisles dedicated to selling back rubs, hugs, kittens or winning bingo. :(

    So we should stop selling food?
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    rileysowner wrote: »
    unawind wrote: »
    DrEnalg wrote: »
    Pleasurable activities activate the pleasure centers of the brain. Drugs and eating sugar are pleasurable, which is why people do them.

    So is listening to Mozart, watching a beautiful sunset, or getting a good backrub or a hug from a loved one. I would wager all of these things activate the pleasure circuits in the brain "similar to drugs of abuse." Don't know why this is even surprising or even that interesting.

    Unfortunately there are not entire industries, vending machines or supermarket aisles dedicated to selling back rubs, hugs, kittens or winning bingo. :(

    So we should stop selling food?

    It would probably reduce obesity.

    Unintended consequences might be a kitten, however.
  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,126 Member
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    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    rileysowner wrote: »
    unawind wrote: »
    DrEnalg wrote: »
    Pleasurable activities activate the pleasure centers of the brain. Drugs and eating sugar are pleasurable, which is why people do them.

    So is listening to Mozart, watching a beautiful sunset, or getting a good backrub or a hug from a loved one. I would wager all of these things activate the pleasure circuits in the brain "similar to drugs of abuse." Don't know why this is even surprising or even that interesting.

    Unfortunately there are not entire industries, vending machines or supermarket aisles dedicated to selling back rubs, hugs, kittens or winning bingo. :(

    So we should stop selling food?

    It would probably reduce obesity.

    Unintended consequences might be a kitten, however.

    Was this one of those MFP replacements for what they deem inappropriate words? I saw that yesterday and had some laughs searching for it in posts. Some of the situations it makes it worse than if the original word was left in.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    rileysowner wrote: »
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    rileysowner wrote: »
    unawind wrote: »
    DrEnalg wrote: »
    Pleasurable activities activate the pleasure centers of the brain. Drugs and eating sugar are pleasurable, which is why people do them.

    So is listening to Mozart, watching a beautiful sunset, or getting a good backrub or a hug from a loved one. I would wager all of these things activate the pleasure circuits in the brain "similar to drugs of abuse." Don't know why this is even surprising or even that interesting.

    Unfortunately there are not entire industries, vending machines or supermarket aisles dedicated to selling back rubs, hugs, kittens or winning bingo. :(

    So we should stop selling food?

    It would probably reduce obesity.

    Unintended consequences might be a kitten, however.

    Was this one of those MFP replacements for what they deem inappropriate words? I saw that yesterday and had some laughs searching for it in posts. Some of the situations it makes it worse than if the original word was left in.

    Heh, I actually just used it as a euphemism, because of the filter.

    The worst was the "big kitten diet" or something like that.
  • Treehugger_88
    Treehugger_88 Posts: 207 Member
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    kimny72 wrote: »
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    GaleHawkins wrote: »
    richln wrote: »
    Here is the actual study:
    http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0150270

    Thanks for the link to the actual scientific study. While I know in my case my 40 years of craving for carbs faded in a few weeks after I stopped eating sugar and all form of grains but it would still be nice to know why.

    But fat has the same effect on the brain, basically. Not surprising, as it's pleasurable too. (Fat+carbs or fat+salt seem to have the strongest effects.)

    Yeah, I'm all about fat+salt. I can eat a bite-size Milky Way, or a small serving of ice cream and be happy. But chips, fries, bacon, cheese I could eat until I puke. I love lobster because of the dish of melted salted-butter.

    Now I'm hungry...

    I'm the complete opposite. I go years without eating fatty salty foods like chips, fries, bacon, cheese, and am not even the slightest bit tempted to eat them (and my boyfriend keeps them all in the house). But chocolate and sugar = constant cravings and I could eat them till I puked every day. Wonder what the science is behind that.
  • goldthistime
    goldthistime Posts: 3,214 Member
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    I have been wondering whether people who believe themselves to be "sugar addicts" are actually suffering from binge eating disorder. If no irrationally high consumption is occurring, would someone still think of it as an addiction?
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,910 Member
    edited April 2016
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    rileysowner wrote: »
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    rileysowner wrote: »
    unawind wrote: »
    DrEnalg wrote: »
    Pleasurable activities activate the pleasure centers of the brain. Drugs and eating sugar are pleasurable, which is why people do them.

    So is listening to Mozart, watching a beautiful sunset, or getting a good backrub or a hug from a loved one. I would wager all of these things activate the pleasure circuits in the brain "similar to drugs of abuse." Don't know why this is even surprising or even that interesting.

    Unfortunately there are not entire industries, vending machines or supermarket aisles dedicated to selling back rubs, hugs, kittens or winning bingo. :(

    So we should stop selling food?

    It would probably reduce obesity.

    Unintended consequences might be a kitten, however.

    Was this one of those MFP replacements for what they deem inappropriate words? I saw that yesterday and had some laughs searching for it in posts. Some of the situations it makes it worse than if the original word was left in.

    The new and improved prohibited words filter has ** around the kitten.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
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    ClosetBayesian wrote: »
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    shell1005 wrote: »
    abatonfan wrote: »
    Or is all food potentially addictive?
    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22641965

    Is it the food that stimulates dopamine release like heroin, or is it the heroin that stimulates dopamine release like food (with the food-dopamine release being a survival mechanism).

    My response to this is.....

    Take sugar away from someone who has been taking moderate amounts of it daily. Observe.

    Take heroin away from someone who has been taking moderate amounts of it daily. Observe.

    I will hypothesize that one of those subgroups is much more likely to need to be hospitalized due to the medical complications of physical detox.

    If you have never watched someone in active withdrawal from heroin, please consider yourself lucky.

    My response is...

    I've had substance abuse issues which I'm not going to cop to here and the food cravings I used to get before I reduced carbs felt exactly the same.

    I have also had substance abuse issues, and have never once had a food cravings that was anything near what I went through with my substances of choice. Not even close.

    Ditto this. I would rather kill myself then go through that hell again...
  • queenliz99
    queenliz99 Posts: 15,317 Member
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    Christine_72 wrote: »
    ClosetBayesian wrote: »
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    shell1005 wrote: »
    abatonfan wrote: »
    Or is all food potentially addictive?
    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22641965

    Is it the food that stimulates dopamine release like heroin, or is it the heroin that stimulates dopamine release like food (with the food-dopamine release being a survival mechanism).

    My response to this is.....

    Take sugar away from someone who has been taking moderate amounts of it daily. Observe.

    Take heroin away from someone who has been taking moderate amounts of it daily. Observe.

    I will hypothesize that one of those subgroups is much more likely to need to be hospitalized due to the medical complications of physical detox.

    If you have never watched someone in active withdrawal from heroin, please consider yourself lucky.

    My response is...

    I've had substance abuse issues which I'm not going to cop to here and the food cravings I used to get before I reduced carbs felt exactly the same.

    I have also had substance abuse issues, and have never once had a food cravings that was anything near what I went through with my substances of choice. Not even close.

    Ditto this. I would rather kill myself then go through that hell again...

    My experience as well.

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