Sugar, sweet suicide—part I

Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients, July, 2003 by Gary Null

Sugar addiction walks hand-in-hand with alcoholism and drug addiction, meaning one addiction can easily substitute for another. It is not unusual for a person who stops drinking to become a sugarholic. In his classic book, Sugar Blues, William Duffy reminds us that "1923 was the heyday of Prohibition. When booze became illegal here, sugar consumption zoomed. The whole country acted like a gathering of arrested alcoholics spending the evening at AA; they couldn't keep their mitts out of the candy jar." (5) Phelps, a former alcoholic herself, observed heroin addicts consume enormous amounts of simple sugary carbohydrates while undergoing treatment. This seemed to alleviate heroin withdrawal symptoms.

The reverse can also occur, where cravings for sugar can progress to other addictions, says Phelps: "Sugar addiction is the world's most widespread addiction, and probably one of the hardest to kick," she says. "Because it is shared by so many addictive patients, I believe it is the 'basic addiction' that precedes all others. Most of my addicted patients tell me that at one time they craved sugar almost daily." (6)

Only recently has sugar's addictive qualities been confirmed by scientists. In one study, Colantuoni et al. found that rats fed excessive amounts of sugar developed an opioid dependence, with withdrawal symptoms occurring when sugar was removed. They concluded that withdrawal from sugar was similar to withdrawal from morphine or nicotine. (7) In another, Bartley et al. found that certain foods release dopamine, a chemical messenger in the brain that plays a major role in addiction. Eating certain foods triggers a pleasurable sensation that soon shifts, as addictions ultimately give way to depression and unhappiness. The body then responds by craving more of the foods or drugs that restore mood, The study determined that ready sources of legal dopamine-releasing products could be found in sugar-sweet milk products, caffeine, alcohol, and cigarettes. Their conclusion was that rich foods, found in every workplace, tempt people to binge on fat and sugar, leading to obesity and eating disorders. (8) Other research ers have discovered the opioid antagonist Naltrexone to suppress a desire for sweets, another finding that affirms the addictive nature of sugar. (9-11) Pecoraro et al. concluded that sugar intake leads to addiction and anticipation of sugar in a group of undernourished rats. His study implies that the poor become hooked on sugar because it is readily available in sodas and fast foods. (12) With such a wealth of studies coming to the same conclusion, we must wonder whether it is possible for the sugar industry to be unaware of sugar's addictive properties.

Most sugar addicts will vigorously deny their compulsion and the need to change. Says Phelps, "Only when you recognize the thoroughly unpleasant ways that sugar addiction can affect your life and health will you understand how real the addiction is and how important it may be to you to recover from it." (13)