Have you ever thought about how sugar is in everything we eat? From drinks of any kind to yogurts to McDonald’s to bread, it really is unavoidable. Most people even claim to have a sweet tooth that excuses them devouring whatever sugary treat they want. What makes us go crazy for sugar? Instinctively, humans have needed sugar to survive, and the brain has not changed its reaction to sugar over years of evolution: “Sugar fuels every cell in the brain. Your brain also sees sugar as a reward, which makes you keep wanting more of it. If you often eat a lot of sugar, you’re reinforcing that reward, which can make it tough to break the habit” (WebMD). 

There was a Princeton study in 2008 that connected rats’ behavior to sugar to those with drug/alcohol addictions or binge eaters. The study states, “Until now, the rats under study have met two of the three elements of addiction. They have demonstrated a behavioral pattern of increased intake and then showed signs of withdrawal. His current experiments captured craving and relapse to complete the picture.” The scientists withheld sugar from the rats, causing withdrawal symptoms, and when they gave the rats renewed access to sugar the rats would binge on it. Since 2008, sugar has been acknowledged as an addictive substance for humans too.

If you find yourself in this article, you can break your sugar addiction at this article: “How to Break Your Sugar Addiction.“