Sugar As A Drug

Is sugar a drug? When one thinks of sugar, all is heavenly. Sugar creates bliss throughout the consumer's mind and body. It is this bliss that the consumer so desperately wants to hold on to and feel for eternity. It is due to this bliss that the consumer would throw away his or her health. The consumer is hooked on to this bliss, and can’t live without it. Even worse is, this bliss is sold everywhere, and this consumer isn’t alone. There are millions of these consumers that are addicted to sugar and can’t live without it. It wasn’t always like this. Ever since the big corporations figured out how to refine sugar and mass produce it cheaper, the health of the country has worsened. Child obesity rates are up, diabetes rates are up. More than

Sugar has been proven to be addictive. A recent study in rats discovered that a brain region important for pleasure was activated more strongly when the animals were exposed to Oreos compared to cocaine (Live Science). This shows that the rats had more pleasure with the sugary oreos than with the notorious addictive drug cocaine. Now one might say that rats are different than humans and that person is right. However, there was another study done in 2011. The “study found that the brains of people with "food addiction" reacted to junk food the same way that the brains of people with drug addictions react to drugs” (Live Science). This shows how sugar is just as addictive as drugs. Drug addicts and food addicts reacted the same way. The only difference is the connotation behind each one. A drug addict is viewed with as an extremely negative thing. There is no way to show being a drug addict as a good thing. Food addiction, however, is viewed in a more mocking way. A food addict is viewed in a comical and almost humorous way. That is the only reason drugs such as cocaine are illegal, while refined sugars are

Over two thirds of adults are overweight or obese. Over one third are obese. About one third of children are overweight or obese. About one sixth are obese (Overweight and Obesity). The recent surge of the refined sugars has led to these statistics. In 1980, 47 percent of adults were overweight or obese. In 1990, the number rose to 59 percent and in 2000 that number reached 70 percent! (U.S. Adult Obesity Rates). In addition, over 12 percent of adults have diabetes, and more than a third of the population over 20 is considered prediabetic. If the rise continues, it is estimated that one fifth of the country will have diabetes in 2025, and one third of the country in 2050 (Medical News). The country is intaking too much sugar. People are getting sick from the refined sugar and it is ruining many Americans lives. To add on, there have also been studies that show “Consuming 75 to 100 grams of simple sugars (about 20 teaspoons of sugar – the amount found in two-and-a-half average 12 ounce cans of soda) can suppress the body’s immune responses considerably” (Bamboo Core). Just drinking two and a half cans of soda a day can already deteriorate one’s health. It is said that the sugars create a “40 to 50% drop in the ability of white blood cells to kill bacteria and germs within the body” (Bamboo Core). This drop in the white blood cells efficiency leads to increased bacteria and germs going through the system. “The