'Tis the Season - for Sugar Addiction?

Why is it so darn hard to control ourselves around holiday sweets?  Why can't we 'just stop at one'?!  Are we just weak-willed, or is there a neurochemical basis that is driving  addiction-like cravings?  

Seems like my patients are not the only ones asking these questions - the New York Times just ran an Op-Ed article called:  "Sugar Season.  It's Everywhere, and Addictive".  The story discusses the theory that humans, until recently, faced food scarcity, and those who were 'wired' to like, love, or REALLY love sweets, tended to be those who survived - and passed those genes along to us 'moderns'.  

Unfortunately these genes - which can turn our brains into carb-craving machines - can really backfire in the modern world, where we are surrounded by an abundance (overabundance?) of super-delicious, 'hyper-palatable' treats.

The constant temptation of sweets everywhere - easy to reach, easy to eat -  can really 'light the fire' of cravings, and set that fire blazing.  The more we see/smell/eat, the more we want of the same.  And it's all there, in our neurochemistry.

This review article ( http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2235907/) states that "Based on the observed behavioral and neurochemical similarities between the effects of intermittent sugar access and drugs of abuse, we suggest that sugar, as common as it is, nonetheless meets the criteria for a substance of abuse and may be “addictive” for some individuals when consumed in a “binge-like” manner. This conclusion is reinforced by the changes in limbic system neurochemistry that are similar for the drugs and for sugar. "

This more recent  2013 review study (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=Sugar+addiction%3A+pushing+the+drug-sugar+analogy+to+the+limit) states that "evidence in humans shows that sugar and sweetness can induce reward and craving that are comparable in magnitude to those induced by addictive drugs."  Furthermore, "At the neurobiological level, the neural substrates of sugar and sweet reward appear to be more robust than those of cocaine."  Yes, you read that correctly, more addictive than cocaine!  And it concludes that the "biological robustness in the neural substrates of sugar and sweet reward may be sufficient to explain why many people can have difficultly to control the consumption of foods high in sugar when continuously exposed to them."  I'd say so!

So, what to do to control cravings?  The answer is not a simple, single trick - as much as we would love that - but the good news is that there ARE strategies to control cravings.  First it's important to identify our individual 'triggers".  Next it's important to REMOVE these triggers from our immediate environment (you can't eat something if it's not there). And next we must REPLACE those treats with healthier, but still tasty, treats.  You can't take something away, without putting something else back in its place - or the change simply won't be sustainable. We help our patients come up with specific ways to do this, every day.   Our goal is to help patients create - and SUSTAIN - successful healthy lifestyles.

There are additional strategies that can be very effective to help control cravings, which are beyond the scope of today's blog. And the best success comes from the creation of individualized strategies to address each person's unique needs. Lifestyle change can be tough - be we can make it easier, and help improve success - through education, problem-solving, coaching, and support.  

Weight management medications can also sometimes be helpful when ESTABLISHING new, healthy habits, and can even be useful to help SUSTAIN healthy lifestyle (more on this in future blogs, including using a modified Finnish Sinclair Method of intermittent medication to help control addictive responses to triggers.)  But again, that is too much to discuss in today's blog!

If you are struggling with cravings, and would like help, we'd love to help you!  Give us a call at (603) 379-6500, and read more about our program and strategies at healthyweightcenter.com .

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/23/opinion/sugar-season-its-everywhere-and-addictive.html?smid=tw-share&_r=0&utm_content=buffercd6ae&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer