Sugar Addiction

Ever notice that the more sugar you eat, the more sugar you crave? Eating sugar releases opioids and dopamine in our bodies. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that is a key part of the “reward circuit” associated with addictive behavior. When a certain behavior causes an excess release of dopamine, you feel a pleasurable “high” that you are inclined to re-experience, and so repeat the behavior.

Every time we eat sweets, we are reinforcing those neuropathways, causing the brain to become increasingly hardwired to crave sugar, building up a tolerance like any other drug. As you repeat that behavior more and more, your brain adjusts to release less dopamine. The only way to feel the same “high” as before is to repeat the behavior in increasing amounts and frequency. 

A diet high in added sugar can lead to obesity, type 2 diabetes, headaches, hormone imbalances, insulin resistance, increased gut permeability, inflammation in the joints, acne, and depression. Additionally, there have been studies that link high sugar intake with cancer growth.

Identify added sugar in your food:

To identify an added sugar, look for words that end with “-ose” (like dextrose, fructose, glucose, maltose and sucrose). as well as phrases that contain “syrup” or “malt.” Remember: Ingredients on a packaged food are listed in descending order in terms of weight, so when you see these names at the top of the ingredients list, the product contains a lot of sugar.

Sugar goes by a lot of different names — Here is what to look for on nutrition labels: 

  • Brown sugar

  • Cane sugar

  • Corn sweetener

  • Corn syrup

  • Rice syrup

  • Dextrose

  • Maltose

  • Barley malt

  • Fructose sweetener

  • Fruit juice concentrates

  • Glucose 

  • High-fructose corn syrup

  • Invert sugar

  • Maltose

  • Malt syrup

  • Malt sugar

  • Maple syrup

  • Molasses

  • Pancake syrup

  • Raw sugar

  • Sucrose

  • Syrup

  • Trehalose

  • Turbinado sugar

What foods should you stay away from? 

  • Soda 

  • Candy 

  • Baked goods/ cakes/ donuts/ cookies 

  • Low fat yogurt, flavored yogurt 

  • Barbecue sauce/ Ketchup 

  • Salad dressings 

  • Fruit juice 

  • Spaghetti sauce

  • Sports drinks

  • Chocolate milk 

  • Granola

  • Flavored coffee

  • Iced tea (sweet) 

  • Protein bars

  • Premade soup 

  • Breakfast cereal

  • Cereal bars

  • Canned fruit 

  • Canned baked beans

  • Premade smoothies

BOTTOM LINE:

AVOID ALL PROCESSED FOODS

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AVOID ALL PROCESSED FOODS ~

Dr. Pradip Jamnadas is the founder and medical director of Cardiovascular Interventions and has practiced in Central Florida for over 28 years. Widely recognized for his skill in interventional cardiology Dr. Jamnadas has been awarded Orlando Top Doctor by Orlando Magazine consecutively for over a decade.

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