This idea that sugar is addictive is quite easy to debunk & I could do so with two simple questions:
1) Have you ever heard of anyone eating spoonful’s of sugar straight from the bag?
2) Have you ever heard of anyone being addicted to fruit?
I’m not a gambling man but I’d be willing to bet that the answer to both of those questions is probably no.
Slightly off-topic, if you ever come across anyone who says that you shouldn’t be eating fruit because it contains sugar then disregard anything that they say relating to health because they’re most likely a moron.
The sugar addiction theory mainly stems from rodent studies. In these experiments, rats are given a window of unlimited access to sugar followed by a period of restriction. Dopamine levels typically increase during their exposure to sugar followed by signs of withdrawal once this is taken away from them.
However, the research in humans does not support this hypothesis.
To directly quote this paper,
“There is currently insufficient scientific evidence to label any common food, ingredient, micronutrient, standard food additive or combination of ingredients as addictive”.
Foods that are high in sugar (chocolate, doughnuts, cakes etc.) are all extremely tasty and easy to consume in large quantities so I can understand where the idea of them being ‘addictive’ comes from.
However, most high-sugar foods also contain a lot of fat so it’s quite possible that the combination of the two is what makes them so palatable.
Only 5% of respondents to this survey who had food addiction symptoms listed foods that mainly contain sugar (stuff like haribo and wine gums) as problematic. However, 29.5% struggled with high-fat + savoury foods (crisps, nuts, cheese etc) and 25% had issues with high-fat + sugary foods (cookies, cake, pastries etc).
Carbohydrate & sugar intake was not associated with dependency in this very similar study too.
I understand that after reading this you may think that I tell my clients to abstain from foods that are high in fat. However, I do not encourage anyone to completely eliminate any specific food or macronutrient.
Labelling something as ‘bad’ or being entirely off-limits can have detrimental effects on your relationship with food and even lead you to consume more of that food in the future.
Everything can be enjoyed in moderation as part of a balanced diet! Just be mindful of the amount of sugar you’re consuming on a daily basis as the calories can rack up fairly quickly.
Also your dentist will probably tell you off.
