Is Sugar Addiction Real? Is There Science to Sugar Addiction?

Is Sugar Addiction Real? Is There Science To It?

These questions and more answered in a Brand New, Peer-Reviewed Study.

For Immediate Release:

This just published: “Sugar Addiction: From Evolution to Revolution” has been recently published in the prestigious Frontiers in Psychiatry. (links below)

In it, the authors cite 279 studies to back up their work.

For you science geeks (and anyone else concerned about sugar in their or their families lives)  …this is the holy grail.

What I like most about this study is…

1. Its deep dive into both the evolution of our diet from mans earliest times. (I just love that angle)

2. How our physical bodies and brains function in relation to this question (heavy science look)

AND most important of all –

3. A comprehensive look at the addiction literature on sugar and other drugs of addiction in an attempt to answer the question:

“Is there science to sugar addiction?”

While I don’t want to be a spoiler if you prefer to read the entire 8,000+ plus word study I believe this line in the conclusion sums it up for me:

“Finally, there is strong evidence of the existence of sugar addiction, both at preclinical and clinical level. Our model has demonstrated that five out of eleven criteria for SUD (substance use disorder) are met, specifically: use of larger amounts and for longer than intended, craving, hazardous use, tolerance, and withdrawal.”

New science comes out every day and these three scientists have such credibility, combined with the credibility of the prestigious journal that the study is published in …and the fact that it is peer reviewed is such a boost towards getting more help for people who are suffering, sometimes without even knowing why.

In the study you’ll also find topics like:

 

• Evolution of Addictive Drugs

• Neural Circuits for Reward

• Food “Reward” and Accumbens Dopamine

• Dysfunction of the Dopaminergic System in Obese Subjects

• Drugs of Addiction and Accumbens Dopamine

• What Is the Difference Between Food and Drugs of Addiction?

• Can Sugar Be Addictive?

• Additional Aspects of Sugar Addiction Are Comparable to Drug Addiction

• Addiction Potential of Highly Palatable Food Related to Maternal Influence

• Human Research on “Food Addiction”

• Food Addiction and Eating Disorders

• Sugar and Obesity

 

 

While some of the reading is very scientific for the layperson, especially when describing the physical effects of sugar and the bodily systems it interacts with, much of the study is written in a very readable and approachable style. Kudos again to the authors.

The authors David A. Wiss MS, RND, Dr. Nicole Avena, and Pedro Rada, MD, Ph.D. all have impeccable credentials for this huge undertaking. You can learn more about them on the study page.

We have interviewed both Dr. Avena and David Weiss, RND for our Kick Sugar Summits and found both to be knowledgeable, diligent, and professional in their approach to this issue.

As the body of knowledge on this topic expands and accelerates, the effects of sugar on the obesity crisis is more and more called into question. The authors attempt in depth to wade through that entire argument/thought process with exceptional grace.

They even try and tackle the whole “we should eat less and move more argument” in a scientific way. They explore environmental changes in the last thirty years and state that our overall biology has not changed that much in the last 10,000 years. But they do it with the backing of many, many scientific studies to back up their thoughts and conclusions.

If you are interested in this topic at all I would grab your favorite sugar-free beverage and about 20 minutes of your time and take a walk into the future of science as it applies to the use of sugar.  Access the study right here.  And share it with your friends.