The research group fed chow to rats as well as a 25% sugar solution similar to the sugar concentration of soft drinks. After one month the rats became "dependent" on the sugar solution, ate less chow, and increased their intake of the sugary drink to 200%.[5]
The sugar industry asserts that similar effects have been reported for rats given solutions that tasted sweet, but contained no calories. However, some scientists say that caloric value may not be the issue. Researchers say that sugar and the taste of sweet is said to stimulate the brain by activating beta endorphin receptor sites, the same chemicals activated in the brain by the ingestion of heroin and morphine.[6]
In 2003, a report commissioned by two U.N. agencies at the World Health Organization and the Food and Agriculture Organization was compiled by a panel of 30 international experts. It recommended that sugar not account for more than 10% of a person's diet.[7] However, in their effort to promote sugar, the U.S. Sugar Association asserted that other evidence indicates that a quarter of our food and drink intake can safely consist of sugar. Just like the tobacco industry, they continue to deny the damage occurring from their addictive product(s) and persist in trying to convince everyone that sugar is safe. Yet, more and more independent scientific studies are revealing quite the opposite. To see the effects of sugar, simply observe the body and brain of a child or adult consuming 25% of their diet in sugar! It is not a healthy sight. Fifteen years on and governments have done nothing to address the cause of the obesity epidemic and soaring mental illness, other than throwing more money to drug/medicate our children.
In, 2008 a study published in Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews Vol. 32, Issue 1, by Nicole M. Avena, Pedro Rada, Bartley G. Hoebel, noted that sugar affects opioids and dopamine in the brain, and thus, might be expected to have addictive potential. It referenced binging, withdrawal, craving and cross-sensitization, and gave each of them operational definitions in order to demonstrate behaviorally that sugar binging is a reinforcer. These behaviors were said to be related to neurochemical changes in the brain that also occur during addiction to drugs. Neural adaptations included changes in dopamine and opioid receptor binding, enkephalin mRNA expression, and dopamine and acetylcholine release in the nucleus accumbens.[4]
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0149763407000589
On average, Australians consume approximately 45 kg/99 lbs. of sugar, every year. New Zealanders consume about 50.37kg/110 lbs. of sugar a year, and Americans consume about 45 kg/99 lbs. a year. As any lover of sweets knows, sugar is very addictive. Influenced dieticians and food manufacturers, who promote these so -called “fun” foods; better known as “junk” foods, claim that they provide energy. However, this temporary fix, as many studies have shown, soon leads to depleted adrenal and pancreas function, obesity, and sugar addiction. Children and teens on a poor diet are most affected by this damage. Sadly, teens affected by this condition become more susceptible to drug addiction, because drugs (including tobacco and caffeine) give them a desperately needed, temporary lift. Eventually, as more nutrients are depleted, the hypoglycemic condition worsens. Eventually, serious drug addiction develops among these victims, which can lead to depression, mental illness, and even suicide or death from an over dose. Hence, parents should think twice before addicting their children to sweets as treats, and Schools need to stop serving and selling addictive junk foods to our children. In fact, feeding highly sugared, addictive junk foods to children is nothing less than child abuse!
Food is defined as a substance that nourishes and promotes growth; material eaten to sustain life.