Sugar addiction

FYI: I successfully manage my insulin resistance with metformin and a "low carb" diet where I keep my carb intake below 35% of my total calories (roughly 150 grams/day). This arrangement has helped me get control over my sugar/carb cravings, as well as, my other IR symptoms without experiencing the side effects of more aggressive low carb/keto diets. I also consistently lose weight when I eat at a calorie deficit and keep my carb intake at or below 35%--when I stick to it.

Bear in mind that I do have a medical condition that warrants a low-carb diet. It is not necessary for most people. A simple calorie deficit and a little extra willpower to say "no" to the sweets is usually enough to move the scale.

Also, I tried keto before going to a dietician. It made me very ill. I would advise you to do some research to fully understand what all of your options are. There is no need to go to extremes to manage sugar cravings.

ndj1979 wrote: »

please provide evidence of your claim with human trials showing evidence of sugar addiction.

I'm supposed to do what now? Maybe tell me exactly what you're disagreeing with and we can go from there.

NumbrsNerd wrote: »

@NVSMOMKETO:

I am wondering if your overall carbs were too low and causing the migraine - not that you were "withdrawing" from sugar? I tried a very low net-carb ketogenic diet before (<20), and I felt like I was DYING. A little fruit mixed in and I feel much better - and my net carbs are still pretty low - within keto ranges.

I don't *think* my overall carbs are too low but it could be. My carbs are mostly between 30g and 50g lately. I want to keep it between 15 and 30 but I haven't done it yet.

My guess is that my body is not used to burning fat rather than glucose and it's having a hard time adjusting, and that is making things a bit hard (ie. migraines)... On the bright side, my cravings for sugary items, and the shakes and fatigue, are pretty much gone now.

flyingtanuki wrote: »

As a diagnosis, addiction is fairly clearly defined using a 3 of 7 factors test of the DSM-IV: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK64247/

For me, that could work when I think of how I am around carbs and sugars. Wow. Interesting!

flyingtanuki wrote: »

DrEnalg wrote: »

Addiction isn't like diabetes or the flu. There is no blood test or gold standard to decide of someone "has it" or not. Psychiatry has definitely made the whole business of understanding human problems (so often relegated to the "mental health" domain) a lot more confusing, but that's for another discussion, perhaps.

For some people, the consumption of (typically highly processed and hyperpalatable) sugary food behaves like an addiction, and for sure, sugar can active the same brain reward circuitry as cocaine and heroin. But then again, a good Mozart minuet or a beautiful sunset can *also* activate the same brain reward circuitry, so there's that.

Fruit is a wonderful thing, and I'd be hard pressed to recommend a way of eating that cuts it out of one's diet completely. That being said, I tend to avoid certain fruits because they tend to cause sharp insulin spikes (like grapes and bananas) and I tend to emphasize low-GI fruits like berries because of the opposite. That being said, a low-carb diet plan may be a really good way to wean oneself off a so-called sugar addiction.

As a diagnosis, addiction is fairly clearly defined using a 3 of 7 factors test of the DSM-IV: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK64247/

...and as with any diagnosis the diagnostician must be a clinical professional with full understanding of the intent and meaning of the stated factors.