Sugar is a substance that provides pleasure and comfort, but it can also become a source of health problems and addiction when consumed in excess. What is sugar addiction? What are its causes and consequences? How can it be recognised and overcome? In this article, we'll try to answer these questions and find out more about an increasingly topical issue.
What is sugar addiction?
Sugar addiction is the difficulty in controlling the consumption of sugary foods or drinks, despite the negative effects on physical, mental or social well-being. It's not just a simple sweet tooth, but a real eating disorder, which can be similar to an addiction to a psychoactive substance such as alcohol or tobacco. Sugar addiction is not recognised as a disease in its own right, but it is the subject of a great deal of scientific research, which is highlighting the neurobiological mechanisms involved. Sugar acts on the brain by stimulating the reward system, which releases dopamine, a molecule linked to pleasure and motivation. This phenomenon creates a sensation of immediate satisfaction, but also a desire to repeat the experience, which can lead to a loss of control and a change in tolerance, i.e. a need to consume more and more sugar to obtain the same effect. Sugar addiction can affect anyone, but some people are more vulnerable than others, depending on their genetics, personal history, environment, emotional state, etc. There are also different degrees of sugar addiction, ranging from occasional excessive consumption to severe, chronic dependence.
What are the causes of sugar addiction?
Cakes, biscuits, pies, sweets, viennoiseries... These sweet products have a pronounced taste, sometimes original, even unique, which is very pleasant to taste. But sugar addiction is not just about the wonderful taste of sweet products, there are other factors to consider when it comes to understanding and explaining this addiction. Sugar addiction can have multiple origins, which may combine with each other. Firstly, the availability and variety of sweet products: sugar is omnipresent in our diet, particularly in industrial products, which often contain added sugars, hidden or otherwise, to make them more appetising and addictive. So it's easy to access sugar and be tempted by the many offers and promotions.
Secondly, social and cultural conditioning: sugar is often associated with moments of conviviality, celebration, reward, consolation... It is part of our traditions and habits, and it is difficult to do without it without feeling excluded or frustrated. Sugar is also often used as a means of regulating our emotions, particularly stress, boredom, sadness, anger, etc. It provides temporary relief, but this can create a vicious circle where sugar becomes a psychological crutch. Finally, there are also reasons linked to hormonal and metabolic imbalance: sugar has an impact on blood glucose levels, which must be maintained at a constant level to ensure the body functions properly. When sugar is consumed, glucose levels rise rapidly, triggering the secretion of insulin, a hormone that regulates glucose. In a hypoglycaemic situation, our body sends us signals such as tiredness, hunger, irritability, headache... To remedy this, the brain sends a distress signal, prompting us to consume sugar again. This dangerous cycle can sometimes lead to addiction if it is repeated too often.
What are the consequences of sugar addiction?
Sugar addiction can have serious consequences for health and quality of life. The first and most common consequence is overweight and obesity. Sugar provides empty calories, i.e. calories without essential nutrients, which are stored as fat if not used. Being overweight and obese increases the risk of developing cardiovascular disease, diabetes, osteoarthritis, etc. The second frequent and possible consequence is type 2 diabetes. Diabetes is a disease characterised by excessively high levels of glucose in the blood, due to resistance to insulin. Type 2 diabetes is often linked to a poor diet, high in sugar and fat, and a lack of physical activity. Diabetes can lead to serious complications, such as blindness, kidney failure, etc.
Then there are other negative effects associated with excessive sugar consumption, such as tooth decay. Sugar encourages the proliferation of bacteria in the mouth, which produce acids that attack tooth enamel and cause cavities. Cavities can be painful, make chewing difficult and lead to infections or abscesses. Even more serious is depression. Sugar has a short-term euphoric effect, but it can also upset the chemical balance in the brain, and reduce the production of serotonin, a neurotransmitter involved in regulating mood, sleep and appetite. Serotonin deficiency can encourage the onset of depressive disorders, manifested by persistent sadness, loss of interest, fatigue, guilt, etc.
How do you recognise and overcome sugar addiction?
Sugar addiction is not always easy to identify, because it can be confused with a simple sweet tooth or a passing craving. To find out if you're addicted to sugar, you need to ask yourself the right questions, such as: do I often crave sugar, even when I'm not hungry? Do I eat sugar to comfort, relax or reward myself? Do I feel guilty, ashamed or depressed after eating sugar? Do I hide or minimise my sugar intake? Am I able to go without sugar for several days? Do I experience withdrawal symptoms when I don't have sugar, such as restlessness, irritability or headaches? If the answer to several of these questions is yes, there's a good chance that you're addicted to sugar, and that you need to take action to free yourself from this dependency. Here are a few tips to help you do just that:
- Becoming aware of your addiction to sugar: the first step towards change is to recognise your problem and decide to get over it. It can be useful to keep a food diary, in which you record everything you eat and drink, as well as the circumstances and emotions associated with it. This allows you to take a step back, identify risk situations and measure your progress.
- Set realistic, progressive goals: it's not a question of giving up sugar overnight, which would be too frustrating and counter-productive. Instead, you need to set goals that are tailored to your situation, and achieve them step by step. For example, you could start by reducing your consumption of sugary drinks, then industrial products, then desserts... You could also give yourself non-food rewards. What's more, if you're used to sweet nibbles between meals, it's a good idea to gradually eliminate these moments of indulgence or replace them, in the case of sports enthusiasts, by eating nutritious products such as fruit or nuts, which do not contain modified fast sugars.
- Balance your general diet: make sure you include a variety of foods in your cooking routine to avoid over-consumption of sugar. It's not a question of eliminating all carbohydrates from your diet, but of choosing 'good carbohydrates', or 'slow sugars', such as cereals and vegetables, which are hearty for your body and don't raise blood sugar levels too quickly. These foods are also more easily digested. Your diet should also contain a sufficient proportion of protein.
- Remember to stay hydrated with water: excessive consumption of sugary drinks should also be avoided. In fact, the amount of sugar in certain drinks is sometimes much higher than in certain foods. Remembering to drink water regularly helps your body to keep your digestive system working efficiently. What's more, drinking enough also helps to reduce the feeling of hunger.
- Read product labels: sugar is present in a large number of foods: To choose the right foods when shopping, get into the habit of reading the labels on the products you buy. If sugar is one of the first ingredients on the list, it's best to choose a more balanced alternative to the product in your hands. Beware, sugar is not always mentioned in ingredient lists in such simple terms, and sometimes you'll find it referred to as corn syrup, fructose, etc.
Sugar addiction is a very serious threat to the world's population today, and one that we must not take lightly. By understanding the causes of this addiction and adopting healthy, balanced culinary routines, it is possible to reduce the risk of pathologies linked to over-consumption of sugar, while continuing to indulge in real moments of pleasure by occasionally eating sweet foods.
