10 similarities between sugar, junk food and drugs

There are many myths about nutrition ridiculous.

The idea that weight loss is all about calories ^[1] and will be one of the worst.

The truth is ... sugar and highly processed junk food can be addictive as drugs.

Not only behavioral symptoms of it, but biology will also agree.

Here are 10 eerie similarities between sugar, junk food and drugs.

1 Scrap flood the brain with dopamine

Our brains are wired to want to perform certain behaviors.

In most cases, these are behaviors that are important for our survival ... like eating.

When we eat, a hormone in the brain called dopamine ^[2] is in an area of the brain called liberated reward system ^[3] ( 1 , 2 ).

We interpret this signal as dopamine "pleasure" and programming in the evolution of our brain to make us to want to do this behavior again.

This is one way in which the brain has developed to help us navigate through our natural environment, motivate us to do the things that helped our species survive.

This is actually a good thing ... without dopamine, life would be miserable.

But the problem is that some modern things like work " super stimulated ^[4] "- that flood the brain with dopamine, much of what we always taught in the course of evolution.

This can lead to these brain pathways, the "kidnapped" by the intense signal of dopamine to lead.

A good example of this is the drug cocaine ... when people take it floods the brain with dopamine and the brain changes its programming to want to take cocaine, and again and again ( 3 ).

Dopamine pathways, people are supposed to lead to survival were (taken by behavior releases the new stimulus, the more dopamine and increases much stronger than anything else in the natural environment 4 ).

But here's where it really interesting ... sugar and highly processed junk food have the same effect ^[5] , that the abuse of drugs ( 5 ).

They also function as a "super stimulated" - flood the brain with dopamine much more than you eat real food, like an apple or could get an egg ^[6] ( 6 ).

Numerous studies have shown that this is true. Junk food and sugar flooding the dopamine system with rewards, including a region of the brain called the nucleus accumbens ^[7] , which is heavily involved in addiction ( 7 ).

Sugar also affects the opioid ^[8] pathways in the brain, the same control system drugs such as heroin and morphine ( 8 , 9 , 10 ).

Therefore, highly processed food is loaded with sugar can do (some) people lose control over their consumption. You draw the same brain pathways as drug abuse.

Conclusion: Studies have shown that sugar and junk food are flooding the reward system in the brain of dopamine stimulates the same areas as drug abuse, such as cocaine.

2 junk food can cause cravings powerful

Cravings ^[9] is a powerful feeling.

People often confuse hunger ... but the two are not the same.

Hunger is complex physiologic signals the need for the body for energy and nutrients (cause 11 ).

However, people are often sought after in spite completed a nutritious meal compliance.

This is because the cravings do not have to satisfy the needs of the body for energy, but asks for your brain "reward".

In other words, the brain, to push the dopamine / opiate (signal 12 , 13 ).

Always this kind of need for a rewarding food, even when the body is supplied (and perhaps even too well fed), definitely not natural and has nothing to do with actual hunger.

Junk food cravings are actually very similar to drug hunger, cigarettes and other addictive substances. The processes of nature and obsessions are identical.

Conclusion: cravings are a common symptom, if it goes both for junk food and drug, and have very little to do with actual hunger.

Three imaging studies have shown that junk food to illuminate parts of the brain like drugs

Monitoring the activity of the brain is difficult, but not impossible.

Researchers often use devices known functional MRI ^[10] to detect scanner changes in blood flow into certain areas of the brain.

Since the blood flow directly to the activation of neurons in the context, these devices may be used to measure the areas of the brain that are activated.

With these devices, studies have shown that signals food and medicine to activate the same brain regions, and that these areas are activated when people are searching junk food or drugs ( 14 , 15 ).

Conclusion: The researchers used magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to show functional studies that the same regions of the brain signals and the demand for junk food and medicine are activated in response.

4 Tolerance to the effects of "reward" Accumulate

When the brain flooded with dopamine, followed by a protection mechanism.

The brain begins to reduce the number of dopamine receptors to keep things balanced.

This is known as " down-regulation ^[11] ", and that's why we. Development of tolerance

This is a well known property of the drug. People need dose gradually greater and greater, because the brain reduces the number of recipients ( 16 , 17 ).

There is some evidence that the same goes for junk food. That's why food addicts often end up eating huge tuna ( 18 , 19 , 20 ).

It also means that people who are addicted to junk food does not necessarily get to eat no more fun ... because their brain to dopamine receptors in response to repeated sensory overload.

Tolerance ^[12] is one of the characteristics of dependence. It is common to all drugs ... and also applied to sugar and junk food.

Conclusion: If the reward system of the brain is stimulated repeatedly responded by increasing the number of receivers. This leads to tolerance, a hallmark of addiction.

5: Many people binge on junk food

To be dependent on the tolerance of the effects of a drug, the dose begin to rise.

Instead of a tablet or two ... 10th

Since there are a small number of receptors in the brain is a higher dose is required to achieve the same effect

This is why some people binge on junk food.

Binge-Eating- ^[13] is a well-known food addiction and other eating disorders common symptoms associated with drug abuse (feature 21 ).

There are also many studies in rats show that binge on junk food very easy to digest, such as binge on addictive substances ( 22 , 23 ).

Conclusion: Eating excessive alcohol is a common symptom of food addiction. It is the tolerances, so that the brain requires a higher dose caused before reaching the same effect.

6 cross-sensitization: Laboratory animals can drugs sugar, and viceversa

Cross-sensitization is characteristic of addictive drugs.

They are "pass" in a position to simply an addiction to another.

Studies have shown that animals who are dependent on sugar, can easily pass amphetamines or cocaine ( 24 , 25 ).

This is a strong argument for the case that sugar and junk food in general, are really addictive.

Conclusion: Studies have shown that addicts can spend rats sugar, amphetamines and cocaine. This is known as "cross" and consciousness is a function of addictive substances.

7 drugs to fight weight loss

Another argument for the addictive nature of junk food is the same drugs, the fight against drugs also tend to help people to lose weight ^[14] .

A good example is the drug Contrave ^[15] , the. recently received FDA approval as a drug for weight loss

This drug is actually a combination of two medications:

• Bupropion: Also known as Wellbutrin is an antidepressant that has been shown to be effective against nicotine dependence (be 26 ).
• Naltrexone: This is a drug commonly used to alcoholism and addiction to opioids, including morphine and heroin (treatment 27 ).

The fact that the same types of medications can help people to eat fewer calories and lose weight means it measures some of the same foods narcotics biological pathways.

Conclusion: drugs to fight addiction, like smoking, alcoholism and heroin addiction, are also effective for weight loss. This indicates that foods affect the brain in the same way that these drugs of abuse.

8 abstained can cause withdrawal symptoms

Withdrawal symptoms are another key element of addiction.

It was then that addicts experience negative symptoms when the substance to avoid them dependent.

A well-known example is caffeine ^[16] distance. Many people who are addicted to caffeine headache, tired and irritable when they abstain from coffee ^[17] for long periods of time.

There is some evidence that this. Well on the junk food

Rats that are made will depend on the withdrawal symptoms sugar clear experience when sugar is removed, or when the drug that blocks the action of glucose in the brain.

These symptoms were chattering teeth, shakes his head and paw tremor, similar to the withdrawal symptoms of opiate dependence (experienced 28 , 29 ).

Conclusion: There is much evidence in rats that do not need sugar and junk food cause withdrawal symptoms clear.

9 junk food are seriously detrimental to physical health

Junk food is unhealthy ^[18] ... no doubt.

They are rich in harmful ingredients like sugar ^[19] , refined wheat and refined oils.

At the same time contain very little energy, such as fibers, is inventory proteins ^[20] and micronutrients.

Junk food makes people eat more than they should and the ingredients in these products (such as sugar and refined carbohydrates) are closely linked to heart disease, metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes (linked 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 ).

This is not controversial and is basically well known. Everyone knows that junk food is not healthy.

But even if people armed with this knowledge, I still eat junk food in excessive amounts, to know better.

This is common with drug abuse. Addicts know that their drugs cause physical damage, but take it anyway.

Conclusion: It is known that junk food is harmful, but many people are still not able to control their consumption.

10 food addiction symptoms meet the medical criteria for addiction Office

It is not easy to measure the dependence.

There is no test Test Blood, breath or urine to determine if someone is addicted.

Instead, the diagnosis is based on a number of behavioral symptoms.

The official criteria used by medical professionals called the DSM-V.

If you look at their criteria ^[21] for "substance abuse", you can see the similarity with many eating habits.

For example ... you can not cut even desired (never tried to establish rules cheat meal / day?) Cravings and urges that substance use despite the continued use of physical problems (weight gain is a physical problem).

Does anyone have this sound familiar? These are classic symptoms of addiction ^[22] .

I can also confirm that with some personal examples ...

I am a recovering addict and alcoholic ex-smoker who has been in six GPs. I have sober for almost 8 years.

I struggled with addiction for a long time ... and a few years after I sober I started to develop an addiction ^[23] on unhealthy foods.

After a while I realized that the process and thought the symptoms were the same as when I was a drug addict ... exactly the same.

The truth is that there is a fundamental difference between addiction to junk food and addiction. It is simply an abuse of various substances and social consequences are not so severe.

Since I already talked to many former addicts., Problems with sugar and junk food

They agree that the symptoms are not only similar but are almost identical.

Credentials

1. ^{^} calories (authoritynutrition.com)
2. ^{^} dopamine (en.wikipedia.org)
3. ^{^} reward system (en.wikipedia.org)
4. ^{^} super stimulated (wholehealthsource.blogspot.com)
5. ^{^} same effect (authoritynutrition.com)
6. ^{^} Ei (authoritynutrition.com)
7. ^{^} nucleus accumbens (en.wikipedia.org)
8. ^{^} opioids (en.wikipedia.org)
9. ^{^} cravings (authoritynutrition.com)
10. ^{^} fMRI (en.wikipedia.org)
11. ^{^} downregulation (en.wikipedia.org)
12. ^{^} tolerance (www.drugabuse.gov)
13. ^{^} binge eating (en.wikipedia.org)
14. ^{^} to losing weight (authoritynutrition.com)
15. ^{^} Contrave (en.wikipedia.org)
16. ^{^} Caffeine (en.wikipedia.org)
17. ^{^} Coffee (authoritynutrition.com)
18. ^{^} unhealthy (authoritynutrition.com)
19. ^{^} sugar (authoritynutrition.com)
20. ^{^} protein (authoritynutrition.com)
21. ^{^} criteria (addictions.about.com)
22. ^{^} Symptoms of addiction (authoritynutrition.com)
23. ^{^} dependence (authoritynutrition.com)