After a 2008 study reported that refined sugar could be addictive, it sparked a slew of buzzy headlines and the infamous claim that “sugar is as addictive as cocaine.” This has since created a certain stigma around sugar and led to shifts in diet culture.
The claim itself is easy enough to believe. How often does someone only have one piece of candy? Or only indulge in one Oreo? We may not eat a lot of sweets at home, but when a box of donuts or a tray of cookies is left at the office, it almost feels like a primal instinct takes over, and a desire for sweets skyrockets.
When we try to cut sugar out of our diets, we may get headaches or feel fatigued. Having too much sugar could do the same thing. So what’s the deal with sugar? Is it addictive? Or is there more nuance behind that claim? Here’s what we know.
Breaking Down Sugar
Little white cubes or granules may be the first thing you think of when it comes to the sweet stuff; however, there are several types of sugars.
According to Dr. Srividya Kidambi, an endocrinologist with the Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) health network and Professor and Chief with MCW, sugar comes in many different forms. It is a significant source of energy for your body.
“Sugar is just a term,” says Kidambi. There are different types of sugars, and our bodies process them in different ways.
These include monosaccharides (single-molecule) like:
Glucose – Sugars our bodies need
Fructose – Sugar found in some fruits and vegetables
And disaccharides (with two molecules) like:
Sucrose – Table sugar
Lactose – Sugar found in dairy. Yep, milk has sugar!
Maltose – Sugar in starchy grains and some produce
“Glucose is the one that our body needs,” says Kidambi. “...[It] is the basic one that the body breaks down to create energy.”
We can get a lot of the necessary glucose from foods containing complex carbohydrates, says Kidambi — foods like dark, leafy greens and certain grains, such as quinoa and brown rice.
Read More: Our Gut Microbiome Turns Sugar into Compounds Vital for Our Health
Consuming Sugar in Moderation
While the body needs specific sugars to function properly, that doesn’t mean overeating foods high in processed sugar like sucrose is beneficial. It’s possible even to overeat the healthiest of foods. Because of this, Kidambi recommends consuming everything in moderation.
“We do need to eat calories, and in moderation. So sugar is not bad,” she says. “It's bad if it becomes excessive.”
Sucrose is the type of sugar labeled as “bad” or “addictive.” However, this is where we enter a sugary gray area.
Is Sugar Actually Addictive?
Those buzz-worthy headlines from 2008 and on claiming that sugar is as addictive as hard drugs are not exactly accurate.
“The debate over whether sugar is genuinely addictive continues to evolve, but as of today, the evidence supporting the concept of sugar addiction is still very limited, particularly in humans,” says Jabe Brown, founder of Melbourne Functional Medicine, in an email. “The notion of sugar addiction stems from the idea that highly palatable foods, especially those high in sugar, can elicit similar neurobiological changes to those seen with drug addiction.”
Processed sugars, or sucrose, can trigger the reward pathways in the brain and release dopamine. Because our brains love dopamine, naturally, we want more of the trigger, leading us to consume more of it, whether it be drugs or sugar.
When we don’t get enough of that trigger, we may experience withdrawals. When it comes to sugar, those withdrawals may cause mood swings, headaches, nausea, anxiety, and depression.
“While sugar activates reward pathways in the brain, the general scientific consensus is that sugar does not meet the criteria as an addictive substance. Our body needs some sugar to survive,” says Stephanie Albers, the Clinical Assessment Program Manager at Project HEAL.
According to Marissa Kai Miluk, a registered dietitian and founder of Behind the Binge, there can come a point where you don’t want a particular sweet, or your body knows that it doesn’t need this sugar.
“If I were to say, ‘go out and eat as much chocolate brownies as you want’,” says Miluk, “There's a capacity to which you're like, get me away from these brownies. I don't want them anymore. The opposite happens in addiction, where you want more. You need more. You start to rely on more.”
Kidambi also added that it may be more accurate to refer to sugar addiction as a craving. These intense cravings could be for some sort of quick energy burst or even for nostalgic purposes.
Being Mindful Around Sugar
Should you cut out sugar completely? According to Kidambi and a few other sources, a low-sugar diet may be more beneficial than being sugar-free.
The U.K. guidelines on the daily sugar intake for adults are 30 grams, compared to 25 grams for American women.
While eating a low-sugar diet, it’s possible that you may start to crave healthier and more nutritious foods, which isn’t a surprise. Most nutritionists say that eating a well-balanced and nourishing diet improves your health. But most nutritionists also say that indulging once in a while is okay. It’s when you start restricting yourself that negative thoughts towards food and your body can arise.
“Is it the chicken, or is it the egg?” says Miluk, “Is it that I'm restricting it, that I feel obsessed with it? Or am I obsessed with it because sugar is a problem?”
Understanding our relationship with sugar is the best way to ensure that we don’t overindulge and that when we do indulge, we don’t feel guilty about it.
Overall, this is a long way of saying that no one should feel guilty about eating anything, even sugar. Are highly processed and sugary foods going to add valuable nutrition to your body? No. But that doesn’t mean you can’t have them from time to time.
This article is not offering medical advice and should be used for informational purposes only.
This article is a republished version of this previously published article here
Read More: Too Much Sugar and Fat Can Cause Cognitive Problems — Even in Young People
Article Sources
Our writers at Discovermagazine.com use peer-reviewed studies and high-quality sources for our articles, and our editors review for scientific accuracy and editorial standards. Review the sources used below for this article:
Neuroscience and biobehavioral reviews. Evidence for sugar addiction: Behavioral and neurochemical effects of intermittent, excessive sugar intake
Endocrinologist with the Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin. Srividya Kidambi
Harvard Health. Are certain types of sugars healthier than others?
Founder of Melbourne Functional Medicine. Jabe Brown
Journal of behavioral addictions. Sugar Habit Hacker: Initial evidence that a planning intervention reduces sugar intake
Clinical assessment program manager at Project HEAL. Stephanie Albers
Registered dietitian and founder of Behind the Binge. Marissa Kai Miluk
National Health Service. UK. Sugar
American Heart Association. How Much Sugar Is Too Much?
A graduate of UW-Whitewater, Monica wrote for several organizations, including one that focused on bees and the natural world, before coming to Discover Magazine. Her current work also appears on her travel blog and Common State Magazine. Her love of science came from watching PBS shows as a kid with her mom and spending too much time bingeing Doctor Who.
