The truth about sugar addiction

Sugar is one of the most harmful and addictive substances that you can consume. Excessive sugar consumption is associated with chronic metabolic problems, such as Type 2 diabetes, obesity and heart disease.

When you eat sugary foods, the reward center of your brain, known as the nucleus accumbens, is stimulated through increased signals of dopamine. As you consume excessive amounts of sugar on a regular basis, your body’s dopamine signals become weaker, causing you to develop tolerance and eventually addiction.

Sugar is one of the most harmful and addictive substances that you can consume, as it’s associated with various metabolic diseases. Nowadays, it’s found in almost everything you eat. In fact, the average American consumes around 17.4 teaspoons of sugar per day – that’s more than 5 teaspoons higher than the average sugar intake recommended by the U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2015-2020. A 2015 article from The Washington Post states that the U.S. even ranks first in the countries that consume the highest amount of sugar.

According to a study published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, around 75% of packaged foods sold in supermarkets contain added sugar. This includes processed foods like sweet snacks, cereals, energy drinks, fruit juices and baked goods. It’s even present in infant food and baby formula, exposing children to numerous health issues at a very young age.

But avoiding sugar is not as simple as skipping sweet foods, as savory foods, like salad dressing and pizza, contain this ingredient as well. Sugar hides behind 61 different names in food labels, the most common of which include sucrose, high-fructose corn syrup, molasses, maple syrup, glucose, maltose, lactose and fruit juice concentrate, among others.

What makes sugar so addicting?

When you eat sugary foods, the reward center of your brain, known as the nucleus accumbens, is stimulated through increased signals of dopamine, a neurotransmitter that plays a role in your perception of pleasure.

Because eating sugar makes you feel good, you’re likely to eat it often. As you consume excessive amounts of sugar on a regular basis, your body’s dopamine signals become weaker and you develop tolerance, so you have to eat more sugar to get the same level of reward, eventually resulting in sugar addiction. This is why manufacturers use sugar to drive your behavior.

There have been many studies regarding the addictive potential of sugar. For instance, a 2018 review published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine states that “sugar has been found to produce more symptoms than is required to be considered an addictive substance.”

It exhibits drug-like effects such as bingeing, craving, tolerance, withdrawal, cross-sensitization, cross-tolerance and cross-dependence. Another study published in the journal Neuroscience states that intermittent bingeing on sucrose and abusing drugs can both increase extracellular dopamine in the nucleus accumbens.

60 ways sugar can ruin your health

Excessive sugar consumption is associated with chronic metabolic problems, such as Type 2 diabetes, obesity and heart disease. Aside from these, there have been numerous studies spanning decades that demonstrate the other ways in which eating too much sugar can lead to detrimental effects to your health. Here are 60 of these health risks, divided into four categories:

Nutrient imbalance or deficiency

1. Upsets the mineral relationships in your body
2. Causes chromium deficiency
3. Interferes with the absorption of calcium and magnesium
4. Increases total cholesterol, triglycerides and bad cholesterol levels
5. Decreases good cholesterol levels
6. Lowers vitamin E levels

Behavioral changes

7. Leads to addiction and intoxication, similar to alcohol
8. Increases hyperactivity and depressive symptoms
9. Causes difficulty in concentrating and drowsiness
10. Reduces learning capacity and can cause learning disorders
11. Increases the risk for antisocial behavior
12. Decreases emotional stability
13. Increases the risk for alcoholism

Increased risk of diseases

14. Promotes cancer cell growth
15. Increases fasting levels of glucose
16. Increases blood pressure levels
17. Increases platelet adhesion, which could put you at risk of arterial thrombotic conditions
18. Leads to formation of kidney stones and gallstones
19. Promotes excessive food intake through rapid sugar absorption
20. Increases the risk for obesity
21. Decreases insulin sensitivity, leading to high insulin levels and eventually diabetes
22. Causes reactive hypoglycemia
23. Triggers dizziness and headaches, including migraines
24. Makes you more prone to gastrointestinal tract problems
25. Promotes chronic degenerative diseases
26. Causes atherosclerosis and cardiovascular diseases
27. Causes cataracts and nearsightedness
28. May lead to autoimmune diseases like arthritis, asthma and multiple sclerosis
29. Increases the risk for lung cancer
30. Contributes to osteoporosis
31. Promotes the progression of Parkinson’s disease
32. Increases the risk of gout and Alzheimer’s disease
33. Increases acidity of the saliva and causes tooth decay and periodontal diseases
34. Promotes uncontrolled growth of Candida Albicans (yeast infection)
35. Leads to toxemia in pregnancy
36. Worsens symptoms of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
37. May lead to epileptic seizures

Bodily impairments

38. Impairs metabolic processes in a normal healthy individual
39. Suppresses the immune system, which increases risk of contracting infectious diseases
40. Reduces tissue elasticity and function
41. Leads to weaker eyesight
42. Accelerate aging
43. Increases advanced glycation end products wherein sugar molecules attach to proteins and end up damaging them
44. Impairs DNA and collagen structure

45. Alters collagen structure
46. Worsens signs of skin aging
47. Lowers the ability of your enzymes to function
48. Promotes fat accumulation in the liver
49. Increases the risk for kidney and pancreatic damage
50. Contributes to salt and fluid retention
51. Affects urinary electrolyte composition
52. Impairs normal function of the adrenal glands
53. Compromises lining of capillaries
54. Weakens your tendons
55. Can cause an increase in delta, alpha and theta brain waves, which results in the inability to think clearly
56. Causes hormonal imbalances
57. Increases free radicals and oxidative stress
58. Leads to substantial decrease in gestation, with a twofold increased risk for delivering a small-for-gestational-age infant
59. Causes dehydration among newborns
60. Affects carbon dioxide production when given to infants

How to manage sugar addiction

It’s never too late to kick your sugar-loading habits to the curb. Here are some recommendations to help manage or limit your sugar consumption:

1. Limit your sugar intake – Sugar in its natural form is not bad provided that it’s consumed in moderation. Generally, your total sugar consumption should be below 25 grams per day from all sources, including sugar that you get from whole fruits. However, if you have insulin or leptin resistance, it’s ideal to limit your fructose intake to as little as 15 grams per day until you’ve normalized your insulin and leptin levels.

2. Avoid high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) – This sweetener is made from corn and found in many of the food items that you eat and drink today. It’s considered to be dangerous not only because of the amount of sugar that it contains, but also because of the health risks that it can cause, most of which are mentioned above.

3. Increase your consumption of healthy fats – Healthy fats, such as omega-3 fatty acids, saturated fats and monounsaturated fats, are your body’s preferred source of fuel. The best sources of these include grass fed butter, coconut oil, free-range eggs, avocado and raw nuts like pecans and macadamia.

4. Add fermented foods into your diet – Eating fermented foods like kimchi, natto, organic yogurt and kefir may help reduce the negative effects of excessive sugar on your liver by supporting your digestive function and detoxification.

5. Drink pure water – Instead of drinking sweetened beverages like soda and fruit juices, it’s recommended that you rehydrate your body with pure, clean water.

6. Try the Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) – Food cravings are sometimes triggered by an emotional need, such as wanting to relieve stress or feel a little happier after a tiring day. EFT is a simple and effective psychological acupressure technique that could help you manage the emotional components of your cravings.

It has been proven to help relieve emotional traumas, ease phobias and post-traumatic stresses, break down food cravings and lessen physical pain and discomfort. What EFT entails in its practitioners is to have the right mindset when going on a diet or just taking steps to improve on their health.

Aside from the recommendations mentioned above, it’s advisable exercising every day, along with optimizing your vitamin D levels, getting enough sleep and managing your stress levels. These strategies may help minimize the effects of excessive sugar intake. Exercise in particular is known to improve insulin sensitivity, reduce stress levels, suppress ghrelin (the appetite hormone), speed up metabolism, strengthen bones and boost your mood.

It can be quite difficult to say no to sweets, especially if you have been consuming them on a daily basis, but once you feel the effects that lowering your sugar intake has on your body, it will all be worth it.

yogaesoteric

October 3, 2019