There are many ridiculous myths in nutrition.

The idea that losing weight is all about calories and willpower is one of the worst. The truth is… sugar and highly processed junk foods can be addictive, just like drugs.

Here are 10 ways sugar and junk food are similar to abusive drugs.

Junk Foods Flood The Brain With Dopamine

Sugar and highly processed junk foods can have the same effect as drugs of abuse.

Junk Foods Can Lead to Powerful Cravings

 

Cravings for junk foods are actually very similar to cravings for drugs, cigarettes and other addictive substances. The obsessive nature and thought processes are identical.

Imaging Studies Have Shown That Junk Foods Light up the Same Brain Areas as Drugs of Abuse

Using MRI, studies have shown that both food and drug cues activate the same brain regions, and that the same areas are activated when people crave either junk food or drugs.

A Tolerance to The “Rewarding” Effects Builds up

People need progressively larger and larger doses of drugs for the same effects because the brain reduces its number of receptors.

There is some evidence that the same applies to junk food. This is the reason why food addicts sometimes end up eating huge amounts in a sitting. This also implies that people who are addicted to junk food don’t necessarily get any more pleasure from eating.

Many People Binge on Junk Foods

The above tolerance is also the reason why some people binge on junk food.

Drugs That Fight Addiction Are Being Used For Weight Loss

Another argument for the addictive nature of junk food, is that the same drugs that fight addiction also tend to help people lose weight.

A good example is the drug Contrave, which recently gained FDA approval as a weight loss drug. This drug is actually a combination of two other drugs:

• Bupropion: Also known as wellbutrin, this is an anti-depressant that has been shown to be effective against nicotine addiction.
• Naltrexone: This is a drug often used to treat alcoholism and addiction to opiates, including morphine and heroin.

The fact that the same types of drugs can help people eat fewer calories and lose weight implies that food shares some of the same biological pathways as narcotics.

Abstaining Can Lead to Withdrawal Symptoms

Withdrawal symptoms are another key feature of addiction.

There is some evidence that this applies to junk food as well.

Rats that are made dependant on sugar experience clear withdrawal symptoms when the sugar is removed, or when they are given a drug that blocks the effects of sugar in the brain.

Junk Foods Are Seriously Harmful to Physical Health

Junk food makes people eat more than they’re supposed to and the ingredients in them (like the sugar and refined carbs) are strongly linked to heart disease, metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes.

But even if people are armed with this knowledge, they still eat junk food, in excessive quantities, despite knowing better.

This is common with drugs of abuse. Addicts know that the drugs are causing them physical harm, but they take them anyway.

Food Addiction Symptoms Satisfy The Official Medical Criteria For Addiction

The official criteria of measuring addiction, used by medical professionals, resembles many food-related behaviors.

For example… being unable to cut back despite wanting to (ever tried to set rules about cheat meals/days?), cravings and urges to use the substance, continuing to use despite physical problems (weight gain is a physical problem).

These are classic symptoms of addiction.

Sugar is THE MOST ADDICTIVE SUBSTANCE ON EARTH. Stay away! And Stay Healthy.