Of course naturally occurring sugar in fruits is healthy but I am talking about refined sugar. It has several negative side effects the most obvious being from an overconsumption of processed sugar over a long period of time which can lead to being overweight or being obese which leads to a whole other series of health problems. A newer sturdy examined sugar intake of men and women over the course of 15 years. The greater the amount of sugar that person consumed overall, the greater the health risk of heart disease was. In fact people who consumed about 15% of their daily calories from added sugar had a 18% higher risk of dying from heart disease, compared to people who only took in very little added sugar (Forbes). When this trial was done it spanned among women and men of varying age ranges, weights, and physical activity levels showing there is most likely a direct link between sugar consumption and the heart. There is still room for a third variable to be affecting the sugar and heart disease; the direct causation is not definitive here more studies would have to be done since this was simply an observational trial.

Have you ever found yourself just finished a slice of cake, ice cream, or a piece of candy and instead of being satisfied you have the craving for another sugary sweet? While the dessert might be THAT good it could be due to your brain actually craving it. Besides the strong link between sugar consumption and heart disease the refined substance has no minerals, vitamins, or proteins in it leading people to name it as an “empty calorie”. There have also been some studies in which sugar consumption has been shown to cause a release of dopamine in the brain. Dopamine plays a role in addiction in that it controls the reward and pleasure centers in the brain. For example eating sugar causes pleasure so we naturally want to continue to “reward” ourselves with more sugar. Thus rather than being physically addicted to sugar you can become mentally addicted. Researchers at the University of Florida found that obese and compulsive eaters were irresistibly drawn to images of junk food in the same way cocaine addicts were when shown a bag of the white powder (Huffington Post). A recent study done at the University of Edinburgh has shown no conclusive evidence that people become addicted to chemical substances in certain foods. There is very little evidence currently proving that sugar is addictive or that people have a dependence for it. However there are several studies that show sugar can be addictive. For example a suds done by Princeton university on rats showed that after consecutive days of feeding them sugar the rats suffered withdraw symptoms when the scientists removed the sugar from their diets. The bigger issue is our bodies are not used to handling the amount of sugar humans are consuming today. Sugar is in a overwhelming amount of processed and “natural” foods today. In small amounts sugar is not deadly or addictive. But what do you think? In your own experience can food products containing sugar be addictive or not?

Resources

http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/features/health-effects-of-sugar

http://www.forbes.com/sites/alicegwalton/2014/02/03/more-evidence-that-sugar-is-harming-our-hearts/

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2011/11/03/fatty-and-sugary-food-as-addictive-as-cocaine-and-nicotine_n_1073513.html

http://authoritynutrition.com/10-disturbing-reasons-why-sugar-is-bad/

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-29126872