The reclassification of sugar as a drug

Perhaps even more compelling than this cultural evidence is the physiological and psychological evidence that sugar acts on the brain much like licit and illicit drugs do. Alcoholics might spend most of their day thinking about alcohol, planning elaborate schemes to get their hands on a drink. They may also not be capable of having only a few drinks, but rather need to ingest massive quantities of the drug in order to feel good Sugar junkies, similarly, will often have plans as to how to get their next fix and once they start eating cookies or doughnuts, they are often compelled to eat more of these foods than the average person in order to satisfy their appetites (Mumey and Hatcher, 1987, p. 106). “Addiction is characterized by a pattern of compulsive, uncontrollable behaviours that occur at the expense of most other activities and intensify with repeated cycles” (Avena and Lone, 2005, p. 359).

In the same way that drug addicts experience withdrawal symptoms when they quit using, sugar addicts can also experience withdrawal from their drug. “ There is no question that withdrawal from sugar can be as painful as withdrawal from alcohol. It has been described by those who have undergone both as 'worse'” (Mumey and Hatcher, 1987, p. 106). These sugar withdrawal symptoms are no less imaginary than the ones produced by heroin or caffeine: they are the product of brain chemistry (Avena and Long, 2005, p. 359). Research has shown that “intermittent sugar availability (12 hours/day) produces signs of dependence in rats, including escalation of intake, mu-opioid and dopamine receptor changes, behavioral and neurochemical indices of withdrawal and cross-sensitization with amphetamine” (Avena and Long, 2005, p. 359).

Perhaps here we see most clearly how powerfully sugar acts upon the mind and body, behaving more like a drug than a mere food or food additive. Sugar “is a depressant and, consumed in large amounts, it affects the opiate receptor sites in the central nervous system” (Mumey and Hatcher, 1987, p. 104). When ingested, sugar is having much more of an effect on the chemistry of the body and brain than simply providing energy to both. “One of the most cited studies, by University of Washington researcher Adam Brewnowski, found that women who were given a drug that blocks opioid receptors consume less sweet, high-fat foods – but only if they were bulimic. [...] The opioid blocker 'works, we see it,' he says. 'But only in a person whose system is disturbed'” (Fisher, 2005, p. 63). This may prove that sugar is therefore acting on the opiate receptors in the brain like certain drugs do. Because this experiment only worked on bulimics, it is possible that, just like drug addicts, “one does not tend to get addicted to a substance unless there was an imbalance in the system prior to initiation to the drug” (McDonald, 2005).

~ more... ~