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Sugar addiction: is it real? A narrative review
James J DiNicolantonio1, James H O'Keefe1, William L Wilson2
1Saint Luke's Mid America Heart Institute, Kansas, USA.
British Journal of Sports Medicine
|August 25, 2017
Summary
Sugar consumption in animal studies shows addictive substance criteria, mirroring drug-like effects such as craving and withdrawal. This suggests sugar addiction involves dependence on naturally released opioids.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Addiction Science
- Nutritional Science
Background:
- Animal studies indicate sugar consumption elicits symptoms exceeding those required for addictive substance classification.
- Significant overlap exists between added sugar intake and drug-like effects, including bingeing, craving, tolerance, and withdrawal.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the parallels between sugar consumption and substance abuse in animal models.
- To explore the neurochemical and behavioral similarities between sugar addiction and drug addiction.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing animal study data on sugar consumption and addiction-related behaviors.
- Analysis of neurochemical and behavioral overlaps between sugar and drugs of abuse.
Main Results:
- Animal data reveals drug-like effects from sugar, including bingeing, craving, tolerance, withdrawal, and opioid system involvement.
- Evidence points to sugar addiction being a dependence on endogenous opioids released during sugar intake.
Conclusions:
- Substantial parallels and overlaps exist between drugs of abuse and sugar in both brain neurochemistry and behavior.
- Findings support the classification of sugar addiction as a behavioral addiction with similarities to substance use disorders.
Keywords:
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