3 ms·

Random commenter #2, but I'm a genetics professor at a med school FWIW. Sugar is a major factor. The genetics of obesity point to a strong link to behavior. Sug

Random commenter #2, but I'm a genetics professor at a med school FWIW. Sugar is a major factor. The genetics of obesity point to a strong link to behavior. Sugar is addictive. Alcohol and nicotine are drugs, and so is sugar. There needs to be regulations on sugar content of foods. If you say it's not possible, I point to the low-fat craze years of the 1980s-1990s, where ironically we basically proved that swapping fat with sugar made our obesity problem worse.

Balgair 8y ago
With all due respect, professor, claiming that sugar is 'addictive' and that it is in fact a drug, is a bit of a stretch. I'm not nearly at the level of addiction research that you are privy too, so please excuse my ignorance of the most recent research results. However, in my lay understanding of the science of addiction, it seems that sugar is no where close to the same ball-park as nicotine or caffeine. Unless the definition of 'drug' and of 'addiction', has recently changed, of course. Still, if what you say is true, this would be a large overturn in the common, lay-person, understanding of drugs and addiction! It's implications on a dietary (and policy) level, would be fof a great boon to all of us. If you have the time, I would love to know more about this and how you formed your understanding. Thank you. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Addiction https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Addiction
- untilHellbanned 8y ago
  It is a matter of definitions. Here is a review: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6234835/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6234835/. "The FA framework for understanding obesity is the notion that highly processed 'hyperpalatable' foods have hijacked the reward centers in the brain thus impairing the decision-making process, similar to drugs of abuse." "Finally, there is strong evidence of the existence of sugar addiction, both at preclinical and clinical level. Our model has demonstrated that five out of eleven criteria for SUD are met, specifically: use of larger amounts and for longer than intended, craving, hazardous use, tolerance, and withdrawal. From an evolutionary perspective, we must consider addiction as a normal trait that permitted humans to survive primitive conditions when food was scarce. As we evolved culturally, the neural circuits involved in addictive behaviors became dysfunctional and instead of helping us survive they are in fact compromising our health."
  - Balgair 8y ago
    Thank you, that was exactly what I was looking for.
- TACIXAT 8y ago
  I get physical dependence on sugar. My other comment in this thread details it a bit. If I eat sugar regularly I get small sinus headaches that are unpleasant, but bearable. When I cut it out I go into full withdrawal. I recognize that the literature doesn't support this and I would happily undergo studies to back it up. I have gone through this process multiple times and I get sick consistently (I no longer eat sugar because of this). I might be an anomaly due to an autoimmune disorder, but we may need to start putting an asterisk that sugar is not addictive *for most people.

Balgair 8y ago

With all due respect, professor, claiming that sugar is 'addictive' and that it is in fact a drug, is a bit of a stretch. I'm not nearly at the level of addiction research that you are privy too, so please excuse my ignorance of the most recent research results. However, in my lay understanding of the science of addiction, it seems that sugar is no where close to the same ball-park as nicotine or caffeine. Unless the definition of 'drug' and of 'addiction', has recently changed, of course. Still, if what you say is true, this would be a large overturn in the common, lay-person, understanding of drugs and addiction! It's implications on a dietary (and policy) level, would be fof a great boon to all of us. If you have the time, I would love to know more about this and how you formed your understanding. Thank you. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Addiction https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Addiction

untilHellbanned 8y ago
It is a matter of definitions. Here is a review: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6234835/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6234835/. "The FA framework for understanding obesity is the notion that highly processed 'hyperpalatable' foods have hijacked the reward centers in the brain thus impairing the decision-making process, similar to drugs of abuse." "Finally, there is strong evidence of the existence of sugar addiction, both at preclinical and clinical level. Our model has demonstrated that five out of eleven criteria for SUD are met, specifically: use of larger amounts and for longer than intended, craving, hazardous use, tolerance, and withdrawal. From an evolutionary perspective, we must consider addiction as a normal trait that permitted humans to survive primitive conditions when food was scarce. As we evolved culturally, the neural circuits involved in addictive behaviors became dysfunctional and instead of helping us survive they are in fact compromising our health."
- Balgair 8y ago
  Thank you, that was exactly what I was looking for.
TACIXAT 8y ago
I get physical dependence on sugar. My other comment in this thread details it a bit. If I eat sugar regularly I get small sinus headaches that are unpleasant, but bearable. When I cut it out I go into full withdrawal. I recognize that the literature doesn't support this and I would happily undergo studies to back it up. I have gone through this process multiple times and I get sick consistently (I no longer eat sugar because of this). I might be an anomaly due to an autoimmune disorder, but we may need to start putting an asterisk that sugar is not addictive *for most people.