Study: Sugar Is Eight Times More Addictive Than Cocaine
Cocaine is one hell of a drug. But, according to a new study, it’s not as addicting as sugar.
Everyone loves pizza, right? You might even say you’re “addicted” to pizza. Well, there’s a reason for that.
According to Dr. Nicole Avena of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, pizza is the most addictive food because of the hidden sugar you’ll find in just once slice. From the tomato sauce to the dough, there’s a whole lot of sugar in a single slice — more so than a handful of Oreos.
Not surprisingly, cookies, donuts and cakes are also addictive.
In the study of 504 participants, Avena found that the behaviors and attitudes toward certain foods that are high on the glycemic index closely mirrored those of addiction patterns.
“Several studies really do suggest that highly-palatable, highly-processed foods can produce behaviors and changes in the brain that one would use to diagnose an addiction, like drugs and alcohol,” Avena told the Huffington Post.
Basically, sugar is just not good for us. At all. A study from 2013 found that “added sugar consumed at concentrations currently considered safe exerts dramatic impacts on mammalian health,” which caused researchers to call for a reevaluation of these safe levels of consumption.
Sugar also contributes to cardiovascular disease, as well as liver disease, hypertension, Type 2 diabetes, obesity and Alzheimer’s disease.
“When we eat wheat flour and sugar in processed foods, spikes our sugar, then insulin. Those are the hormonal disturbances that make you store belly fat, and then you are hungry for more sweets and starchy junk food,” Cardiologist Dr. James O’Keefe told KCTV.
Avena believes her findings are an important first step in recognizing that only certain foods are linked to addictive eating behavior, which could eventually help those people who are struggling with obesity.
“If someone feels they are addicted to food, there really is no diagnosis a medical doctor could give to that person,” said Avena. “This study is helping advance the literature so that we can help people who have addictive-like eating disorders.”
As for the least addictive food? Cucumbers, carrots and beans. Naturally.