‘Sugar Is Like Crack Cocaine,’ Says Doctor. He Warns "Sweet Treats Are Just As Dangerous As Drugs And Alcohol"

SUGAR is as addictive as crack cocaine, doctors now warn. 

Many of us enjoy a sweet treat once in a while and sometimes a bit of the white stuff in our cuppa is all we need as a pick-me-up. 

However, an increasing number of us are becoming dependent on getting a sugar fix to get us through our day, is it a wonder that some claim the substance addictive? 

Previous studies in mice have clearly shown that sugar is addictive, with tests proving that it can create similar withdrawal symptoms to those of giving up drugs. 

A study by French scientists found that rats chose to get their sugar hit over COCAINE - even when the rats had been addicted to the drug. 

While human studies such as this are much harder to do, research using brain scans found that people drinking sugary milkshakes had the same ‘reward centre’ triggered. 

Even increasing the amount of fat in the milkshake didn’t affect the result – proving that sugar was the culprit. 

Just like drugs and alcohol, the more we consume the more our reward receptors need next time to re-create a ‘high’; this means that, as with other addictive substances, sugar addiction becomes a cycle that is hard to get out of.

To make the cycle worse, fewer reward receptors are found the more weight someone puts on – meaning that sugar and weight gain go together in what can often seem a downward spiral.

Many foods found on supermarket shelves and on offer on your lunch break are also culprits in this mass sugar addiction. 

Modern diets increase more and more hidden sugar – so when you think you’re being healthy you may actually just be consuming sugar. 

This means mean that even those who aren’t addicted to the white stuff can find it hard to reduce their sugar intake. 

But the good news is that with the right information sugar cravings can be managed. 

Check the labels on your food before buying and avoid meals that may secretly be putting you over the limit (six teaspoons for women, nine for men) - and next time you fancy that 3pm bar of chocolate try and go cold turkey...it may help you in the long-run.