Last week the statement “sugar is more addictive than
cocaine” was spreading in the science news. I personally found this really strange
and hard to believe, so I was directed to an article about a study conducted by
the University of Edinburgh.
The original article discusses this from a psychological and
behavioural point of view to the matter. They discuss that the psychological
relationship between the human and food. Some people enjoy food too much and
some barely enjoy it. By using this information, the scientist try to determine
whether there is a similarity between food-based addiction and substance-based
addiction. They also discuss that the
reason for food-addiction (which could lead to obesity, which in turn can lead
to health problems such as heart problems, increased risk of diabetes ect…)
could be as a result of a mental disorder. However there is still more research needed to
prove if there is any food ingredient that possesses addictive properties.
However I want to focus on the chemistry point of view and
how the body reacts with sugar and drugs such as cocaine. Sugar interacts with
the taste buds in the tongue to produce a sense of taste. The definition of a drug is something that can
interact with a receptor to induce a biological response. Therefore sugar can
also be defined as a drug. This idea can seem a little farfetched however it is
a response all the same.
Even food can be a drug.
The consumption of junk foods and fizzy drinks has been blamed for causing hyperactivity in children. It is believed that junk foods have high concentrations of certain amino acids which can be converted in the body into neurotransmitters. If an excess of these chemical messengers accumulate in large concentrations, then too many messages are transmitted in the brain, leading to the disruptive behaviour especially observed in susceptible young children.
Cocaine can be administered by inhalation and it is a drug
that can easily cross the blood brain barrier.
Addicts take cocaine to try and give a feeling of euphoria. However at
large doses the drug causes the constriction of blood vessels in the brain and
even brain damage.
Clearly there is a big difference between sugar and cocaine,
but sweet and fatty foods, such as deep fried chips, burgers and fizzy drinks (with copious amounts of sugar in them) , have been found to give off the same
reactions as to drugs (i.e cocaine). A symposium conducted in 2005, by Corwin
and Grigson; established that there are neurological similarities between the
responses given off to food and to drugs in humans.
Wrapping up this post, everything in moderation is better.
Neither too little of food is good for you, neither is too much, but with some
people food addiction is a problem comparable to drug addiction.
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References
[1] Eating is addictive, study says http://www.ed.ac.uk/news/2014/140908-eatingaddiction
[2] G.L Patrick (2009) An Introduction To Medicinal
Chemistry, 4th edn., Oxford: OUP.
[4]Crisps image http://www.publicdomainpictures.net/view-image.php?image=301&picture=crisps
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