We’re dreaming of the pack of Maltesers that is sitting on our kitchen counter, just waiting to be eaten with a steaming cup of tea but researchers say our cravings for sweet treats is an addiction to sugar.
According to The New York Times, a withdrawal from sugar can cause symptoms similar to those suffered by drug addicts.
Researchers in the University of Florida tested their theory on rats and found that sugar-binging rats show signs of opiate-like withdrawal when their precious sugar is taken away, including chattering teeth, tremouring forepaws and the shakes.
When the rats were allowed to eat sugar again two days later they pushed the food lever frantically and consumed 23 per cent more than they did in the past.
This test is not the only one of its type to be conducted in the world and researchers in Oregon analysed the brains of children who looked at photographs of milkshakes and later consumed the shakes.
Children who eat sugar on a regular basis crave sweets more and more
The findings worryingly found that just like drug-users and alcoholics need more and more substance over time, children who ate ice cream regularly craved more of the creamy treat in order to satisfy the part of their brain responsible for addiction.
Dr. Pamela Peeke, from the University of Maryland, said just like heroin addicts rely on methadone to beat their addiction to the drug, food addicts can increase exercise and seek healthy alternatives to beat an addiction to sugar.
“With these foods, personal will and good judgment get overridden. People want these foods, dream about these foods, crave them,” said Dr. Kelly Brownell, co-editor of the new book Food and Addiction.
Maybe we’ll try and resist those Maltesers and have a nice smoothie. Do you suffer any of symptoms of sugar addiction?
