Sugar Is A Drug And Here's How We Re Hooked Analysis

I grew up playing the game “Candyland”, and I dreamed of finding the golden ticket and living in Willie Wonka’s factory. I was also given a Gatorade after every sporting event I ever played in so what could be so bad about sugar? Sugar, real and artificial, can be found in almost every product we consume and although sugar is a simple carbohydrate that the body uses for energy, its impact on our body is far from simple. The consumption of sugar has been linked to a host of chronic health problems, including obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. The addictive nature of sugar is also a significant problem that leads to the other detrimental effects listed above. Sugar has also been useful to help preserve goods, fuel fermentation, balance acidity, and add flavor to other foods. Whether it’s cereal, spaghetti sauce, or yogurt, sugar is everywhere and has become unavoidable in our daily diets. As Americans, we have become accustomed to the sweet addictive taste of sugar, and our dependence on excessive amounts of sugar in its different forms has become alarming to many health experts. In analyzing preference and dependency with sugar, I will trace the addictive nature and major risks sugar has placed on society.

After reading the article “The Toxic Truth about Sugar” my thinking and reactions are identical to the description of the results in the article. Keeping the overall view of sugar and its danger to human health and mankind, I consider the authors are completely realistic and fair about ways of controlling and limiting the amount of sugar which processed-food industry adds to its products.

One in five children in America are obese. How is this possible? In Stephanie Soechtig’s documentary, “Fed Up” (2014), she brings awareness to a few of the causes of obesity and elaborates on the lack of effort people are putting in to end it. Food manufacturing corporations care only about strategic plans to put money in their pocket, not to help make America healthy. Obesity can be traced back to one main cause; sugar. The three things have been addressed through personal stories and physicians that support and increase sugar addictions of adolescents is the amount of added sugar in processed foods, junk food advertisements, and the lack of regulations relating to sugar. Sugar addiction is a real problem and is scientifically proven to be as addicting as cocaine.

It’s in the food, the beverages, almost everything sweet. It has not only influenced Americans’ lifestyle, but is responsible for acute and chronic health problems that plague America as a whole. The consumption of added sugars has skyrocketed in the last few decades and has literally become a part of our lives, responsible for our deadly addiction, before you know it, you may become another suspect of this killer. In Nanci Hellmich, of USA Today, “Eating too much added sugar may be killing you”, Hellmich attributes sugar is not only causing us to become fat, but also is slowing killing us from within. Sugar is killing people because it is responsible for increasing the risk of health complications, growing prominence, and America’s obesity epidemic.

Added sugars have a negative impact on public health; research has discovered an addiction to sugar.The study by Johnson and Kenny used rats to conduct their research and found, “that intermittent sugar intake leads to physiological and behavioral symptoms on discontinuation that are similar to those seen during opiate withdrawal and binge-like intake of sugar that to some degree resembled the behavior of rats given unlimited access to psychostimulants” (Epstein and Shaham 530). Similar to other addiction, it does not matter what the consequence may be, the drive of wanting the subsistence is stronger. In the article, “If Sugar is Addictive”, using potentially addictive sugared foods, the rats would seek out “despite receiving electric shocks while doing so, another classic behavioral indicator of addiction” (Gearhardt, Roberts and Ashe 47). Another study that was conducted by Dr. Hoebelo indicates that “When the rats tasted sugar, their brains released opioids that acted on the same receptors as addictive drugs” (Tufts University 4). With the benefit of animal models, such as the rat, has given insights on sugar

Throughout the years America has started to blame sugar for obesity, heart disease, etc. To an extent we can blame sugar. When someone eats too much or eats the processed chemical filled sugar it could have a negative impact on that person's health. For example: “[..] Chemical makeup enters the bloodstream more quickly than plain sugar.” (Richards). Processed sugar enters into the body and bloodstream much faster than natural sugar does. Which causes too much sugar build up in our bloodstream makes the insulin work harder to process it all out. Until the insulin does its job the sugar just floats around in the blood. We as people can blame sugar for all of our issues when a person eats too much sugar. “I do not support unbelievable amount of GMO high fructose corn syrup” (Konie). That is when heart disease and obesity come into play, when you personally consume too much.

If the world is an engine, sugar is the oil. Everything has sugar, from sodas to fruit. But what if the sugar overload is hurting your body? It's a very controversial topic, but well-researched. Some say it has no long-term effects, but others beg to differ that it can lead to cardiovascular disease, obesity, and diabetes. Sugar has been fueling our lives for so long, so why is it just now gaining so much attention?

Food consumption that is high in sugar has been linked with obesity rates, so in order to cut obesity rates we must avoid a heavy load of sugar intake. In order to understand why sugar is “trending” as something to avoid in our diet, here are some reasons why: sugar has been found to be poor for our metabolism and harmful to our health (Flegal). It contains no essential nutrients. Sugar is also high in fructose, which can essentially overload your liver. Sugar can also cause insulin resistance. This is something strongly correlated with obesity rates, which can also be associated with diabetes. So with sugars effects to insulin resistance, it can be a contributor to type II diabetes as well as other chronic diseases. A specific note of this diabetes influence sugar has comes for an analysis done on caloric consumption and diabetes. “When people ate 150 calories more every day, the rate of diabetes went up 0.1%. But if those 150 calories came from a can of fizzy drink, the rate went up 1.1%” (Lambert) showing that added sugar is eleven times more harmful within the same calorie

This is a fact that is not only staggering, but also shocking that we’ve let this happen to the modern age what with all the technology that could perhaps help reduce this. Paragraph 3’s testimonial is in short order, the UN says that sugar is now in the same league of products as tobacco and alcohol, especially when consumed in large amount, can pose a serious health threat, however it is OK, but only if used in moderation.

Attention: Are you a sugarholic? Do you eat refined sugar everyday? Can you go more than one day without eating some type of sugar containing food? Have you ever hidden candy in your home in an effort not to share them with anyone? If you have you are not alone; I am guilty of my own questions. Sugar addiction is the most prevalent, widely practiced and legally accepted addiction in our society. Through my research I have found several books written on the sugar addiction

Today in our society sugar is accepted and consumed in large quantities. According to the United Stated Department of Agriculture the average American consumes between 150 to 170 pounds a sugar a year (that’s 30 five pound bags). I myself have undergone an experiment to go without sugar for a week to identify the effects it had on my body first hand. I will present you with findings I have found and hope you learn a little more about this substance we put into our bodies so readily and willingly. Today I will talk to you about the physical effects, mental and emotional effects of sugar on the body, and the proper intake of sugar.

Sugar is, and has always been, unavoidable; conversely, sugar has not always been toxic. Naturally abundant and technically enhanced, this substance has followed in the footsteps of tobacco and alcohol, becoming just as unhealthy and ultimately lethal. And, without the implementation of government

Is it a surprise, though, when you consider how much sugar is hidden in food and drinks we consume? Sugar has long been linking to high blood pressure, obesity, and depression. Some of the other issues it creates are fatigue and headaches. Yet, many of the people who are hooked on sugar (https://www.webmd.com/diet/ss/slideshow-sugar-addiction) have no idea that it's wreaking havoc on their bodies.

On a regular basis people all across America have increased their sugar intake to an average of twenty- two teaspoons during the course of a day. The American Heart Association commends woman not to exceed any more than six teaspoons of sugar per day, and for men, and children, no more than nine teaspoons daily, in order to stay within healthy consumption levels. Some scholars have stated that “our nation’s obesity issues are not all from the consumption of one food source, and our nations issues can only be fixed with assessing all the issues, because our nation is in desperate need of overcoming our obesity concerns. (USA Today, Jun 12,

Researchers who are publishing in the Journalist of the American Medical Association’s Internal Medicine have found that Americans who consume the most sugar are twice as likely to die from a heart disease compared to those of us who limit our sugar intake to about 160 calories a day. That is about 10 teaspoons.’ (http://www.npr.org/2014/02/05/271873707/you-may-be-eating-more-sugar-than-you-realize-and-thats-bad) (citaat)