According to scientist Robert Lustig, what’s really making you fat aren’t calories. Instead, eating too much sugar is to blame. Controversially, he even alleges that sugar is toxic–and that eating it can cause an addiction that is hard to beat.
Researchers from the University of Edinburgh say that’s probably not true, however.
According to their study, which was published in Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, there simply isn’t any evidence that the brain can develop an addiction to certain foods. And certain foods, such as sugary snacks, are certainly not “as addictive as heroin,” they say.
So that addiction to sugar? It’s probably not real.
“The brain does not respond to nutrients in the same way as it does to addictive drugs such as heroin or cocaine,” say researchers. “The focus on tackling the problem of obesity should be moved from food itself towards the individual’s relationship with eating.”
According to their research, they looked at multiple studies looking at food addiction, including studies done on rat models. In some of these studies, they demonstrated a need to consume more food, but they did not repeat this behavior enough to be considered clear addictive behavior. They also looked at research which had tried to determine the addictive nature of certain foods–and surprisingly, found that their symptoms did not match symptoms commonly associated with dependency or addiction.
In addition, they found that the brain appears to be unable to develop an addiction to a specific food–instead, it’s the act of eating itself that may pose the real health risk here.
And that includes sugar.
“There has been a major debate over whether sugar is addictive,” says Suzanne Dickson, a professor from the University of Gothenburg and coordinator of the NeuroFAST project. “There is currently very little evidence to support the idea that any ingredient, food item, additive or combination of ingredients has addictive properties.”
In contrast, other researchers propose that while certain foods may not cause a chemical dependency, certain foods may cause behavioral changes that can appear as addiction. The reason why people develop this addiction isn’t because the food itself causes the brain to become dependent, however–instead, a person’s psychological state can manifest the need to crave certain foods to feel “more secure” or “safe.”
“Certain individuals do have an addictive-like relationship with particular foods and they can over-eat despite knowing the risks to their health,” says John Menzies, a research fellow from the University of Edinburgh’s Center for Integrative Physiology. “More avenues for treatment may open up if we think about this condition as a behavioural [sic] addiction rather than a substance-based addiction.”
As an alternative, researchers suggest finding out why you overeat–whether that’s a psychological reason or a lack of control.
What You Should Do
Sugar may be tasty, but it certainly won’t cause an addiction, according to researchers. If you do have trouble overeating, figuring out why you’re overeating in the first place, instead of avoiding certain foods, could help you stop the habit faster.
Readers: Have you ever battled an eating addiction before?
Sources:
Study: An Addiction to Eating, Not Sugar, The Main Reason Why People Overeat – ScienceDaily.com
Study: No Evidence to Support That People Can Become “Addicted” to Certain Foods – ED.ac.uk
Can People Become Addicted to Sugar? Science Says No! – ScienceDirect.com
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