Addicted to Sugar?

       Sugar is used daily by most of us. Modern food is very rich in sugar and this abundance of sugar is viewed as one of the main reasons for growing obesity epidemics. Overconsumption of sugar does not only results in a flood of extra calories it can also lead to addiction. Sugar can interact with different substances in the brain, influencing and changing their normal levels. Most notably, it affects the level of Dopamine. It can also change the concentration of some receptors in the brain.

  These days so many of my patients are struggling with sugar addictions. Sugar is everywhere, hidden in so many foods and available in so many different forms, that it’s hard to avoid. It goes by many different names including glucose, fructose, high fructose corn syrup, malt syrup, dextrose, and evaporated cane juice to name a few.

  The most common form of sugar in our food is sucrose. When ingested, this sugar is split in the digestive system into its two constituents, glucose and fructose. Insulin and glucagon are two enzymes most important for the metabolism of glucose. They both regulate the level of glucose in the human body. After ingestion and degradation of sugar, glucose molecules are absorbed and distributed to all organs and cells in the body. A group of proteins called GLUCs are responsible for the transportation of glucose in the blood. GLUT1 is the main transporter of glucose to the brain.

  While we expect to find sugar in candy bars and cookies, sugar is a common ingredient in fruit drinks, coffee drinks, cereals, salad dressing, ketchup, pizza and spaghetti sauce, and yogurt. Many people don’t realize that a small yogurt with fruit or fruit flavoring can often have as much sugar as a can of soda! While clearly yogurt is a better choice, the sugar levels in many processed and prepared foods can be much higher than you would ever imagine.

Especially vulnerable to high sugar content are low-fat foods. To make up for the diminished flavor resulting from the fat reduction, manufacturers often add sugars to improve the taste. (Just try looking for a low-fat salad dressing without sugar!) We know now that fat is not the enemy: Actually, it is sugar. But knowing that is only part of the solution. 

  Most processed foods contain added sugars, and our sugar thresholds are constantly increasing, making us want more and more. Even healthier forms of sweetness such as maple syrup or raw honey still provide higher levels of simple carbohydrates these days than our bodies require or desire. Sugar impacts a variety of biological functions in the body and can be compared to heroin in its addictability. Let’s look at the impact sugar has on our bodies and how we can reduce our sugar cravings and end our sugar addictions for good.

 One of the human tissues which cannot tolerate low levels of glucose is brain tissue. The main reason for that is the inability of neurons to store glucose and use that stored glucose when levels decrease. That is the reason why the human brain is the first in line for the glucose supply. The brain is also the biggest burner of glucose in the human body. We all know how much children love sweets and sugar. That love is not a consequence of habits and upbringing, though. Recently, researchers have found out that children's love for candies is caused by the biology of their brains. The concentration of neurotransmitters and their receptors is different in children compared to adults. That difference slowly reduces while we grow older. The problem is, that sugar addiction can be formed early in childhood and stay for the rest of life.

  The Impact of Sugar on our Bodies and Emotions

   Today we are so busy that most of us are cooking out of bags and boxes and the prepared processed food we consume is very different than what our parents grew up eating. It’s full of artificial ingredients and loaded with sugars. So, if it were just the occasional brownie or cookie, as it was in our youth, it might be just fine. But today, it’s the treat at the end of the day on top of all of the other sugars we are consuming that causes concern.

    There have always been sweets in our diets: raw honey, maple sap, fruits and berries, and dates have long been used to add some sweetness in countries around the world. In generations past, we might, for example, indulge in a tablespoon of honey, burning off those 60 calories with our physically active lifestyle. Today, our average sugar consumption is a cup of sugar a day. At 774 calories and given our more sedentary lifestyles, that’s a huge caloric shift.

     But it’s not just the calories that cause concern. Sugar has been shown to feed cancer cells and has been connected to breast, ovary, prostate, rectum, lung, gallbladder, and stomach cancers. Sugar can interfere with the absorption of protein, cause gastrointestinal concerns such as the increased risk of Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, indigestion, acidic digestive tracts, and can cause food allergies. Sugar has also been connected to kidney disease, high blood pressure, asthma, arthritis, inflammation, diabetes and insulin resistance, and heart disease. In fact, one cardiologist even declared that virtually all of his patients who suffered heart attacks also had above-normal blood glucose levels.

    Sugar raises your fasting glucose levels, which can lead to hypoglycemia. And we all know what happens when your blood sugar levels crash after a sugar spike! More aggressive behavior and a reduced immune system are also impacts of sugar, especially for children. Research has connected children’s behavior to their level of sugar consumption. When your body experiences the sugar crash post-consumption, blood sugars fall and the brain is affected since glucose is its primary fuel.

   So we have a soda, blood sugar goes up, the body releases insulin in response and the insulin increase causes the blood sugar to drop. As the ups and downs continue, the stress on the body causes a fight or flight response that results in a release of adrenaline. Aggressive behavior, anxiety, attention struggles and hyperactivity can occur not surprisingly. It’s hard enough to manage your children’s sugar intake at home but harder still at school. Even if you pack a healthy lunch, there is a plenitude of treats accessible. More than 80% of schools have contracts with soda companies, so whether it’s a soda or a fruit juice, an “energy” drink, or even flavored milk, high sugar options abound in schools.

 Sugar also wreaks havoc on our mineral absorption. Minerals play a critical role in digestion, maintaining our pH balance, and nerve impulse transmission. When our mineral balance is out of alignment, we can experience trouble sleeping, anxiety, asthma, tooth decay, and weaker bones. Minerals function in a proper balance and when one mineral is out of proportion, the others typically follow suit.

   Studies have shown that sugar causes the body to release calcium and magnesium, throwing the calcium and phosphorous ratio out of balance. In an attempt to rebalance the ratio, the body will pull calcium from teeth and bones. But because the alignment of calcium, magnesium, and phosphorous remains unbalanced, the calcium isn’t fully or properly utilized and it will likely be excreted through the urine or land as a kidney or gallstone. So teeth and bones pay the price for the excess sugar, but the problem still isn’t solved.

                                         The Sugar Addiction

   We know that addiction to sugar is real, as withdrawal symptoms have been documented including low energy, mood swings, headaches, and the relapse desire to consume more. Sugar increases pleasure-yielding opiates in the brain, similar to morphine and heroin, resulting in strong cravings that we cannot ignore. Mood-enhancing neurotransmitters such as serotonin and endorphins are released when we eat sugar, making us feel relaxed or energized. We become addicted to the energy surge or the false sense of calm that they provide and return to them for that feeling over and over again.

   At the same time, if you are consuming sugar in combination with poor sleep, stress, or adrenal fatigue, the likelihood of intense sugar cravings can increase as the sugar perpetuates a cycle of more sugar cravings that repeat repeatedly. Excessive sugar actually re-wires the brain creating a biochemical dependency that will be very hard to ignore.

Even artificial sweeteners without calories trick our brain into wanting that sweet flavor and they come with a host of other side effects. But suffice to say, aspartame (NutraSweet or Equal), saccharin (Sweet N Low or Sugar Twin) sucralose (Splenda) are not good substitutes and should always be avoided.

  So many women tell me that they’ve tried to cut back but they can’t seem to stop. Either they feel the withdrawal symptoms of a headache, shakiness, fatigue, nausea, or depression, or they are overcome by stress and the struggles of work-life balance and our busy schedules. Sugar can be a sweet release, a little self-love, an antidote to the absence of pleasure and joy in our lives.

                  How to control Sugar Addiction? 

Choose naturally sweet foods: Try to indulge your sugar cravings naturally by choosing fruits, berries, dates, raisins, and other sweet whole foods. While these foods still have high sugar content, they also contain nutrients and fiber and can help to satisfy a sweet tooth.

Read labels: Save your sugar intake for the things you really enjoy and remove the excess from the foods you don’t even realize have added sugar. 4 grams of sugar equals about 1 teaspoon so when you read the label and see 28 grams in a yogurt, ask yourself if 7 teaspoons of sugar is a good choice for you.

Don’t eat out of habit: This may seem obvious and simple, but it’s actually neither. We often get into habits such as a 3pm snack for example, or a piece of chocolate after dinner. Try not to eat foods automatically because that’s what you’ve always done. Instead, choose your sweet indulgences carefully, make them treats to savor, and if you don’t really desire them, skip them that day.

Add fermented foods to your diet: In addition to being nutritional powerhouses, many people find that when added to their diets, fermented foods seem to help diminish sugar cravings. And if eaten at the same time as something sugary, the beneficial microflora will minimize the negative effects of the sugar as the fermented foods and drinks will use the sugar as their food.

Eat foods with all six flavors: 

      The main flavors of food: are sweet, sour, salty, bitter, pungent, and astringent. When the body gets all six it is more balanced, digestion is improved and cravings are diminished. Many recipes or meals can easily contain all six, as can one simple side dish like a fruit and spice chutney, which can be fermented to add even more health (and sugar craving reducing) benefits. Just as all six flavors bring the body back into balance, you can listen to your body and monitor how you feel after eating and use this information to bring yourself back into alignment. Your energy should be consistent and stable after a meal, not high then crashing low. Using healthy fats such as butter, olive oil, nuts, and avocado can also help you to feel full, eat less and reduce cravings for something sweet.

Eat a healthy balanced diet:   

       Avoiding packaged and processed foods rich in sugar and white flour in favor of fresh organic produce and grass-fed meats will help your body restore its own natural balance and make sugarless of a seductress and more of an innocent bystander in your life. Supplementing with a high-quality multivitamin can also help support your body’s balance and eliminate nutritional gaps that could lead to cravings.