Sugar, you are my drug...

The other day I was having dinner with friends and the discussion came up about organic foods vs regular foods. I have several friends who have switched over to eating more organic foods, such as fruits, vegetables and dairy, and have found them more enjoyable than eating the regular fruits, veggies and milks you get at the grocery store. I asked if they really tasted different. "Not that different," my friend said, "It's just comforting to know that I am not putting a lot of unnecessary chemicals into my body."

Later in the week, I was talking to a friend who recently started a new diet. My friend told me about how one night she was craving ice cream or chocolate, something sweet. She said the craving was so bad that she began shaking. "Jennifer," she said, "I felt like I was having a panic attack. I began shaking and getting sweaty and I know if I would have had ice cream in the house, I would have eaten the whole thing."

This got me to thinking. Why is it that some people have a "sweet tooth" while others don't. I know several people who can take or leave sugary snacks, desserts, ice cream, cookies, cakes... (I need to stop now because I'm starting to drool on my keyboard), while other people (like me) cannot pass these treats up. I decided to do a little research and this is what I found out.

According to a study done in 2002 by Bart Hoebel, a neuroscientist at Princeton University, using too much sugar "may be a form of addiction, sharing some of the psychological characteristics of drug dependence." (Hoebel, B 2002). "Hoebel and colleagues studied rats that were induced to binge on sugar and found that they exhibited telltale signs of withdrawal, including "the shakes" and changes in brain chemistry, when the effects of the sweets were blocked. These signs are similar to those produced by drug withdrawal." (Hoebel, 2002). Hoebel also found that sugar triggers production of the brain's natural opioids, and that the brain is getting addicted to it's own natural opioids as it would to morphine or heroin. Drugs give a bigger effect, but it's essentially the same process. (Hobel, 2002)

In another article, written by Annette Nay, PhD, she states, "Processed sugars and carbohydrates, which turn into sugar, cause a rise in the insulin level of the blood. This also raises the endorphins level, a natural mood upper in the brain. These sugars causes the body to have a chemical high, mentally, which results in a lift in mood." (Nay, 1997). Nay also goes on to say, "Continuous large doses of sugar and/or carbohydrates, overtime, usually cause the brain's endorphins sites to slow production or close sites to regulate the amount of endorphins in the brain. When the body cuts back on endorphin production it reduces the amount of endorphins available in the body at any given time. The lack of enough endorphin in the brain causes slight to deep depression." (Nay, 1997). So in order to get out of the depression, the person has to eat more sugar in order to feel normal, much in the same way that the alcoholic or the junkie needs to get their next fix in order to feel normal.

I felt these articles explained a lot. There were more out there, but the Google search started taking me into the realm of weird diets and fanatical foodies (the ones who won't eat cooked food and push all kinds of supplements) that I just didn't want to go there. What I have begun to realize is that I have an addiction to sugar. Not that I am going to use that as an excuse for not getting healthy, but, as any junkie knows, the way to get help is to admit that you have a problem. So now I am trying to figure out how to get the help. Unfortunately there are not a lot of rehab programs out there for sugar junkies. The best I was able to find was Overeaters Anonymous, and I don't know if I'm ready to go there yet. So the question is, do I quit cold turkey and try to do this on my own, or do I gradually come off the stuff and try to find support from other people like me. Hmmmm, I'll have to keep you posted on that one.

Because I was always a good student, I like to give credit where credit is due:
To read the Hoebel article, go to: http://www.princeton.edu/pr/news/02/q2/0620-hoebel.htm.
To read the May article, go to: http://www.three-peaks.net/annette/Processed-Sugar.htm.