Sugar addiction....

nomeejerome

Oh my.....

maillemaker

I tend to agree. I am skeptical that sugar causes a physiological addiction. It's possible, but from my own experience the attraction comes from pleasure, not physical withdrawal symptoms. Though some people here are claiming physical withdrawal symptoms.

Well, after reading the article someone posted above:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-mark-hyman/sugar-addiction_b_3502807.html

I have to say I'm now thinking that there may be something physiological going on also:

"Each participant received a brain scan and blood tests for glucose and insulin after each version of the milkshake. They were their own control group. Without exception, they all had the same response. The high sugar or glycemic index milkshake caused a spike in blood sugar and insulin and an increase in reported hunger and cravings four hours after the shake. Remember -- exactly the same calories, sweetness, texture and macronutrient content.

This finding was not surprising and has been shown many times before.

But the breakthrough finding was this: When the high glycemic shake was consumed, the nucleus accumbens lit up like a Christmas tree. This pattern occurred in every single participant and was statistically significant.

This study showed two things.

First, the body responds quite differently to different calories, even if the protein, fat and carbs (and taste) are exactly the same.

And second, foods that spike blood sugar are biologically addictive."

The high-sugar milkshake light up the center of the brain associated with addiction whereas an identical-tasting and macro-nutrient milkshake did not.

That is interesting.

sjcook23

I used a rubberband. I have a sweet tooth and I love candy and chocolate. You know the brain rewards you every time you eat these foods it floods your brain with feel good chemicals. However, like any drug you need more and more to get a "fix." So you are right to call it an addiction, because that is exactly what it is.

I put a rubberband on my wrist and every time I thought about candy or chocolate, I would snap the rubberband. It hurt!!! It wasn't long until I retrained my brain to thinking that these sugar addictions would bring pain. It took about 2 days, but I wore the rubberband for about 2 weeks. It was funny how I wouldn't even think of these sugary sweets again and when I did, my brain would scramble to distract me to move onto other thoughts.

Cured.

highervibes

I gave a stranger a bj for a boston cream last night. I'm so ashamed. Going to try that rubber band trick to see if I can kick this thing on my own.

JoyeII

See, that's what I mean. Why the snarkiness?

Well, I'd love an answer to the question... no snark. I'm generally curious as to when we can blame addiction vs a conscious decision to ignore reason. All pleasurable things elicit chemical changes in the brain so I guess I just wanted clarification on how you decide you are 'addicted' Like I said in my earlier post -- I can't seem to stop driving 20 over the limit, am I a victim of addiction? A friend of mine cheats on his wife every chance he gets, is he a sex addict?

I understand. And please don't lump me in with mallie. I don't think you can be "addicted" to sugar. And I don't believe there's such a thing as sex addiction. People confuse compulsion with addiction all the time. It's a behavioral thing and, in most cases that behavior just needs to be modified.

JoyeII

I used a rubberband. I have a sweet tooth and I love candy and chocolate. You know the brain rewards you every time you eat these foods it floods your brain with feel good chemicals. However, like any drug you need more and more to get a "fix." So you are right to call it an addiction, because that is exactly what it is.

I put a rubberband on my wrist and every time I thought about candy or chocolate, I would snap the rubberband. It hurt!!! It wasn't long until I retrained my brain to thinking that these sugar addictions would bring pain. It took about 2 days, but I wore the rubberband for about 2 weeks. It was funny how I wouldn't even think of these sugary sweets again and when I did, my brain would scramble to distract me to move onto other thoughts.

Cured.

That's aversion therapy.

BeachIron

See, that's what I mean. Why the snarkiness?

Well, I'd love an answer to the question... no snark. I'm generally curious as to when we can blame addiction vs a conscious decision to ignore reason. All pleasurable things elicit chemical changes in the brain so I guess I just wanted clarification on how you decide you are 'addicted' Like I said in my earlier post -- I can't seem to stop driving 20 over the limit, am I a victim of addiction? A friend of mine cheats on his wife every chance he gets, is he a sex addict?

I understand. And please don't lump me in with mallie. I don't think you can be "addicted" to sugar. And I don't believe there's such a thing as sex addiction. People confuse compulsion with addiction all the time. It's a behavioral thing and, in most cases that behavior just needs to be modified.

^ This I can work with.

There is a difference between chemical dependency and compulsion and strong desire. The latter may be very difficult to overcome but, at the end of the day, it is a matter of hard work and willpower. When someone starts claiming that their compulsion is an addiction though (and they are being supported in this by a group who will say anything to get another patient regardless of the lack of any hard science (sorry, I can't take any of the "studies" I've read on the subject seriously)), what they are really doing is saying that it is too hard for them to try and that an excuse is easier.

I'll add that if anyone in this thread thinks that anyone is being "mean" or whatever the heck you want to call it, then they should attend a meeting for real addicts and see what is said by other addicts to the addicts who whine.

You want to better your life? Then work at at. No one else can give that, but other people will certainly line up to support you in excuse making.

Confuzzled4ever

Sugar is addicting. Whenever i start, my body craves it. If I don't eat more sugar, I develop headaches, my eyes hurt, i get cranky and I cant' sleep, all I think about is cake and candy and sugary foods. I'm not talking having a cookie here or there.. I mean when I go and eat sugary foods at each meal. After 1 day of this (yep, for me 1 day is enough) i'm craving it and my body is looking for more. I'm going through it right now actually. I have a killer headache, i couldn't sleep last night. My eyes hurt and i'm having a really hard time resisting eating a handful of the M&Ms in my co-workers office, because i know they will make it stop, but it will also mean that I will have to deal with this again tomorrow and the next day.

You can say it's a myth all you want. All I can do is say. For me, there's a physical reaction to sugar withdrawal. Is it as severe as a drug or alcohol addiction? not by a long shot. But it exists. Thankfully it's over in a few days and it only returns surrounding my second piece of cake or if I over indulge on sugary foods. (yep I check labels and avoid them)

Everyone is different. It could be that I have a very high chance of addiction. It's in my family, I grew up with an alcoholic and could slip into very easily. But instead of vodka, I drown my sorrows in sugar.

JoyeII

See, that's what I mean. Why the snarkiness?

Well, I'd love an answer to the question... no snark. I'm generally curious as to when we can blame addiction vs a conscious decision to ignore reason. All pleasurable things elicit chemical changes in the brain so I guess I just wanted clarification on how you decide you are 'addicted' Like I said in my earlier post -- I can't seem to stop driving 20 over the limit, am I a victim of addiction? A friend of mine cheats on his wife every chance he gets, is he a sex addict?

I understand. And please don't lump me in with mallie. I don't think you can be "addicted" to sugar. And I don't believe there's such a thing as sex addiction. People confuse compulsion with addiction all the time. It's a behavioral thing and, in most cases that behavior just needs to be modified.

^ This I can work with.

There is a difference between chemical dependency and compulsion and strong desire. The latter may be very difficult to overcome but, at the end of the day, it is a matter of hard work and willpower. When someone starts claiming that their compulsion is an addiction though (and they are being supported in this by a group who will say anything to get another patient regardless of the lack of any hard science (sorry, I can't take any of the "studies" I've read on the subject seriously)), what they are really doing is saying that it is too hard for them to try and that an excuse is easier.

I'll add that if anyone in this thread thinks that anyone is being "mean" or whatever the heck you want to call it, then they should attend a meeting for real addicts and see what is said by other addicts to the addicts who whine.

You want to better your life? Then work at at. No one else can give that, but other people will certainly line up to support you in excuse making.

Thank you.

JoyeII

Sugar is addicting. Whenever i start, my body craves it. If I don't eat more sugar, I develop headaches, my eyes hurt, i get cranky and I cant' sleep, all I think about is cake and candy and sugary foods. I'm not talking having a cookie here or there.. I mean when I go and eat sugary foods at each meal. After 1 day of this (yep, for me 1 day is enough) i'm craving it and my body is looking for more. I'm going through it right now actually. I have a killer headache, i couldn't sleep last night. My eyes hurt and i'm having a really hard time resisting eating a handful of the M&Ms in my co-workers office, because i know they will make it stop, but it will also mean that I will have to deal with this again tomorrow and the next day.

You can say it's a myth all you want. All I can do is say. For me, there's a physical reaction to sugar withdrawal. Is it as severe as a drug or alcohol addiction? not by a long shot. But it exists. Thankfully it's over in a few days and it only returns surrounding my second piece of cake or if I over indulge on sugary foods. (yep I check labels and avoid them)

Everyone is different. It could be that I have a very high chance of addiction. It's in my family, I grew up with an alcoholic and could slip into very easily. But instead of vodka, I drown my sorrows in sugar.

What you're experiencing is the yo-yo of your blood glucose levels spiking, and then crashing. It's not "withdrawal." It's your body's natural response to keep your blood glucose levels regulated. And what gets those levels up there faster than anything else? Simple carbohydrates (e.g. sugar). Hence the craving.

If you keep your blood glucose levels stable, this won't happen.

maillemaker

I gave a stranger a bj for a boston cream last night. I'm so ashamed. Going to try that rubber band trick to see if I can kick this thing on my own.

You keep making this joke, but seem to ignore when it is pointed out that there are many high-level functioning addicts who don't resort to blow jobs to satisfy their addiction.

How many people do you know who have to give blow jobs to get cigarettes?

I wish you'd stop with this joke because the point you are trying to make is completely unfounded.

maillemaker

I understand. And please don't lump me in with mallie. I don't think you can be "addicted" to sugar. And I don't believe there's such a thing as sex addiction. People confuse compulsion with addiction all the time. It's a behavioral thing and, in most cases that behavior just needs to be modified.

I'll be sure to look for behavioral "things" in the medical literature. :roll:

Every addiction is a behavior that "just needs to be modified"!

maillemaker

There is a difference between chemical dependency and compulsion and strong desire. The latter may be very difficult to overcome but, at the end of the day, it is a matter of hard work and willpower.

Every addiction is overcome with hard work and willpower!

When someone starts claiming that their compulsion is an addiction though (and they are being supported in this by a group who will say anything to get another patient regardless of the lack of any hard science (sorry, I can't take any of the "studies" I've read on the subject seriously)), what they are really doing is saying that it is too hard for them to try and that an excuse is easier.

No one here is saying that because you have to work hard to break an addiction to food that it's an excuse for working hard to break an addiction to food.

At least you are honest about ignoring authorities in the field concerning behavioral addictions.

I'll add that if anyone in this thread thinks that anyone is being "mean" or whatever the heck you want to call it, then they should attend a meeting for real addicts and see what is said by other addicts to the addicts who whine.

You want to better your life? Then work at at. No one else can give that, but other people will certainly line up to support you in excuse making.

And once again, no one is making excuses. Pointing out you have an addiction problem is not making an excuse unless you are not working to solve the problem, which most people here are.

No one is saying that you don't have to work hard to change your behavior, or that anyone other than yourself can do it.

TitaniaEcks

I've programmed myself to hate sugar over the years. I've eaten so much sugar substitute for the last decade that real sugars taste cloying and syrupy. Sucralose and aspartame are the best things that ever happened to me.

JoyeII

I think this sums up how I feel about it.

http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/compulsive-overeating-and-how-to-stop-it

maillemaker

I think this sums up how I feel about it.

http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/compulsive-overeating-and-how-to-stop-it

Great article!

His theory: "Hyperpalatable" foods -- those loaded with fat, sugar, and salt -- stimulate the senses and provide a reward that leads many people to eat more to repeat the experience.

"I think the evidence is emerging, and the body of evidence is pretty significant," Kessler says.

He calls it conditioned hypereating, and here's how he says it works. When someone consumes a sugary, fatty food they enjoy, it stimulates endorphins, chemicals in the brain that signal a pleasurable experience. Those chemicals stimulate us to eat more of that type of food -- and also calm us down and make us feel good.

The brain also releases dopamine, which motivates us to pursue more of that food. And cues steer us back to it, too: the sight of the food, a road lined with familiar restaurants, perhaps a vending machine that sells a favorite candy bar. The food becomes a habit. We don't realize why we're eating it and why we can't control our appetite for it.

Once the food becomes a habit, it may not offer the same satisfaction. We look for foods higher in fat and sugar to bring back the thrill.

Kessler points to these factors as the cause of a dramatic spike in the number of overweight Americans in the past three decades."

As to this part:

"Adam Drewnowski, director of the Center for Public Health and Nutrition at the University of Washington, isn't convinced.

"Yes, we like it, yes, we eat it, maybe our brains light up in response to it," Drewnowski says. "Are we addicted? No. Do we have to make it the mainstay of our diet? No."

Drewnowski, who is studying connections between poverty and obesity, contends other factors are making Americans fatter. His most recent study, published in the May issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, examined the eating habits of 164 adults in Seattle. People with higher education and incomes were most likely to eat a lower-calorie, more nutritious diet, and to buy more costly food, according to the study.

"People who are obese are the ones who have no money, no education, eat cheap sugar and fat, and live in neighborhoods where cheap sugar and fat are the only things available," Drewnowski says. "We say they should choose better. But in our society, they have no choice.""

I agree that socio-economics often drive people's poor eating choices. That is what gets them on the crap-food bandwagon. If you are pressed for time and/or money, the convenience and often low cost of yummy junk food can set you on a course of consuming this kind of food as routine.

"Instead of simply going on a diet, conditioned hypereaters need to change the way they approach food, he says.

Here are some of his tips:

Structure your eating -- knowing when and how you're going to eat. That plan helps you avoid the situations or foods that trigger overeating and establishes new eating patterns to replace destructive ones.
Set rules, such as not eating between meals. If you know you're not going to eat something, he says, your brain won't be as stimulated to steer you to that food.
Change the way you think about food. Instead of looking at a huge plate of french fries and thinking about how good it will make you feel, he advises saying that it's twice as much food as you need, and will make you feel bad. "Once you know you're being stimulated and bombarded," Kessler says, "you can take steps to protect yourself."
Learn to enjoy the foods you can control.
Rehearse how you'll respond to cues that set you up to overeat."

That's what I've been saying - learn to enjoy the foods you can control and avoid the ones you can't.

Morn66

I tend to agree. I am skeptical that sugar causes a physiological addiction. It's possible, but from my own experience the attraction comes from pleasure, not physical withdrawal symptoms. Though some people here are claiming physical withdrawal symptoms.

Well, after reading the article someone posted above:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-mark-hyman/sugar-addiction_b_3502807.html

Combining two replies in one here

The study "discovered" nothing surprising. OF COURSE there's a physiological reaction to high-GI foods. Think about it. Imagine that you're an animal, subsisting on whatever you can find to eat, which means you're often on the verge of starving. Thing is, as an animal, you don't know know what might be best to eat in terms of getting the most energy bang for the buck. You're just looking for ANYTHING because you're starving. But one day you happen to stumble across a source of food that is pure magic: High in both sugar (immediate energy) and fat (more long-term energy). You eat it. Your body goes "Mmmmmm, we need more of this stuff, man!" so your brain stimulates the pleasure center such that you then have a good reason to look for more of the same thing. Lather, rinse, repeat. Multiply by a few million years and here we are with the same old physiological response to calorie-dense, energy-rich foods. That, in my book, would be a "Duh, of course." Not a revelation at all.

But! There's a difference between us and other mammals, even our most immediate ancestors, the Neanderthals: We have big and highly-developed prefrontal cortices in our skulls that can -- Get this! -- completely override compulsions generated by our basal ganglia. (Of which the nucleus accumbens that the article talks about is a part; it's part of the most primitive bits of our brains.) So, when it comes to "addicted to pleasure," it's NOT an addiction in the same way that one gets addicted to, say, heroin, as you have rightly pointed out many times. Rather, it's succumbing to the will of your primitive brain instead of using your higher one. Instinct vs. reasoning. If someone wants to call consistently succumbing to this instinct an "addiction"...Well, OK, but it really isn't. It's just thinking with your midbrain instead of your higher brain.

It's a survival response when you get down to it. Same as the "fight or flight" response during which your body releases adrenaline in response to a perceived threat. Some people deliberately seek out experiences in which adrenaline is released because they like the "rush" they get. Is that an addiction? Or is it simply liking the effects of a physiological response? Same with food. There is no such thing as "can't control" with a "food addiction." You (general you, not specifically you) CAN indeed control it, absolutely. Some people just don't want to for whatever reason. But you can, as you said, avoid such foods that you think you have a problem with, yes, if you think that will help. And you CAN simply say, "Nope, not gonna binge. Gonna have ONE cookie and that's it" and then you can follow through. Yes, you can. You can indeed say no to your basal ganglia and its "cravings" unless you do not have a functioning prefontal cortex.

Why? Because it's NOT an addiction in the same way that heroin is. It's not physiological, as you've said. It is an "addiction" that is entirely within one's control. It is up to you, as a member of Homo sapiens with its higher brain. You do not have to give in to hunger or cravings by giving your body sugar. You can say no to the craving, and you won't suffer horrible, terrible pain and other withdrawal symptoms. Whereas if you are a heroin addict and you don't get your fix, you will feel like you want to die, like you WILL die. The pain alone is terrible. Trust me, I know; I helped my brother through heroin withdrawal and it was not pretty at all. It involved locking him in a room from which he couldn't escape, chaining him to a bed, and physical fights that I won only because he was weakened, and it lasted for a long, long time even though he wasn't a long-term addict. So, yes, I do indeed have a personal lack of sympathy for people whining about their "sugar addiction" and how it "makes" them binge on cookies or whatever and how their "addictions" (not they) are responsible for their fatness and how they'll triumphantly point to the DSM and various studies to justify themselves and their eating patterns. (Not saying that you, specifically, are doing that, but I've talked to people who have.) Yes, I am an a**hole that way, totally. But even if that wasn't the case, simple logic will tell you that "sugar addiction" is an entirely different thing than a chemical addiction simply because your body requires sugar, specifically, and cannot survive without it. You cannot be "addicted" to it other than in the sense that, indeed, you have to have it in order to survive.

So sure, avoid sugar if you feel you need to...although if you make the argument that sugar from fruit is OK but sugar from a candy bar isn't, I'm gonna call BS on you...but don't construct an excuse for why you have to avoid it and make it sound like it's something that's entirely out of your control. Because really, it isn't. At all.

hookilau

I may not be physically addicted to it but if feels like it has a strong hold on me. I know this might sound super dramatic but it's the best way I can describe it. I don't drink much soda but I love cookies, cakes, donuts etc. I will do great for a few days then splurge on something and then it's all downhill again. I have gained control over all other aspects of my eating except this part. I am just looking to find people who can relate to what I am going through.

I know that the change starts with me...

Get rid of the "all or nothing" mentality. Having a few cookies every day and hitting your calorie goal can go a long way toward controlling the splurges.

I like this.....I need self control. One usually turns into two or three. Doing that a few times a day is the bad part.

If one usually leads to 2 or 3, then cut them out completely. This was one of the things I did to break the cycle. I can't eat fruit or even starches within my carb tolerance. I've found that hunger returns with swift vengeance and things quickly spiral out of control.

hookilau

Sugar is addicting. Whenever i start, my body craves it. If I don't eat more sugar, I develop headaches, my eyes hurt, i get cranky and I cant' sleep, all I think about is cake and candy and sugary foods. I'm not talking having a cookie here or there.. I mean when I go and eat sugary foods at each meal. After 1 day of this (yep, for me 1 day is enough) i'm craving it and my body is looking for more. I'm going through it right now actually. I have a killer headache, i couldn't sleep last night. My eyes hurt and i'm having a really hard time resisting eating a handful of the M&Ms in my co-workers office, because i know they will make it stop, but it will also mean that I will have to deal with this again tomorrow and the next day.

You can say it's a myth all you want. All I can do is say. For me, there's a physical reaction to sugar withdrawal. Is it as severe as a drug or alcohol addiction? not by a long shot. But it exists. Thankfully it's over in a few days and it only returns surrounding my second piece of cake or if I over indulge on sugary foods. (yep I check labels and avoid them)

Everyone is different. It could be that I have a very high chance of addiction. It's in my family, I grew up with an alcoholic and could slip into very easily. But instead of vodka, I drown my sorrows in sugar.

What you're experiencing is the yo-yo of your blood glucose levels spiking, and then crashing. It's not "withdrawal." It's your body's natural response to keep your blood glucose levels regulated. And what gets those levels up there faster than anything else? Simple carbohydrates (e.g. sugar). Hence the craving.

If you keep your blood glucose levels stable, this won't happen.

This is what happens to me.

I always thought it was a cop out when I heard people talking about rollercoaster blood sugars, sugar addiction, carb addiction etc. Now I have my meter and cold hard facts & numbers to live by. :huh: O the irony.

maillemaker

There is no such thing as "can't control" with a "food addiction." You (general you, not specifically you) CAN indeed control it, absolutely.

...

Why? Because it's NOT an addiction in the same way that heroin is. It's not physiological, as you've said. It is an "addiction" that is entirely within one's control. It is up to you, as a member of Homo sapiens with its higher brain.

Once again, this is true of all addictions. You CAN indeed control it, and you have to to kick the addiction. Even long after the physiological addiction has been broken, most alcoholics cannot permit themselves a drink lest they fall back into their old behavioral patterns again and become both physiologically and behaviorally addicted once again.

You do not have to give in to hunger or cravings by giving your body sugar. You can say no to the craving, and you won't suffer horrible, terrible pain and other withdrawal symptoms. Whereas if you are a heroin addict and you don't get your fix, you will feel like you want to die, like you WILL die.

As the article about the milkshakes shows, there may in fact be a physiological addiction component to sugar. It's not just the perceived pleasure from taste that is driving the behavioral addiction, there is actually a chemical response triggered by the sugar itself that was undetectable by the people consuming the shakes.

But even if there is not, you are correct - the withdrawal symptoms of heroine addiction are far worse than, say, the withdrawal symptoms of gambling addiction.

This does not mean that they are not both addictions, and they both require willpower to overcome.

I have no doubt that physiological addictions are much harder to kick than behavioral ones, but behavioral ones are very powerful also.

When my mother quit smoking she said that the nicotine addiction was only a part of breaking the habit. Smoking had become an instinctual activity that accompanied other activities - drinking, driving, reading, or watching television. She often found herself craving the cigarette when she undertook any of those other activities as her brain had come to associate them together.

So the smoking addiction had both a physiological and a behavioral component.