Sugar? It’s like crack cocaine for comfort eaters
REFINED carbohydrates – another term for sugar – display all the hallmarks of an addictive drug in the way they affect us.
They give an instant buzz that’s both pleasant and mood-altering. Indeed, lab studies on rats suggest sugar affects their brain chemistry in a similar way to cocaine. But you don’t need a scientist to tell you that food can be seductive.
Eating creates pleasant sensations that can change our mood, and anything packed with refined carbohydrates, such as cakes and chocolate, will cause an instant lift and energy boost.
Consuming refined carbohydrates accelerates the absorption of an amino acid that our brain converts to serotonin, a neurotransmitter that makes us feel good. If you’re feeling down, comfort eating is an instant way of giving yourself a lift – and sugar is the crack cocaine of comfort eating.
It’s for this reason that at addiction treatment centres chocolates and sweets are prohibited. Food can become an addiction just like any other.
If this sounds a little crazy, let’s try comparing the effects of refined carbohydrates to another addictive substance – alcohol.
When an alcoholic is feeling down, they’ll take a drink in order to give themselves a lift. The same can be said for sugar. When we binge on refined carbohydrates, we consume way beyond a healthy calorie intake, and the reason we’re doing so is to change the way we feel.
Alcohol is a substance that a large proportion of the adult population overindulges in, to the point where it causes serious health problems. This can be said of sugar, too. In fact, statistics show the negative cost of obesity to the nation’s health is far higher than for booze.
Alcoholics can’t control the amount they drink, regardless of the consequences. It’s the same with sugar. No one wants to overeat to the point where they become morbidly obese, yet there are people all around us who cannot help themselves.
Food is a mood-altering substance with addictive properties. No wonder we’re a nation of addicts.