Active Low-Carber Forums - View Single Post - Is being overweight a sign of an addiction like any other?

Quote:

I'm thinking there's a connection here, in that it isn't the sugar itself, but rather, sugar in combination with grains and fats that's been my downfall in the past - ie. cookies, cakes, donuts and the like.

I don't necessarily think it's a true "addiction" per se, but I do think high carb foods can be numbing and/or calming if eaten in large quantities. Maybe this phenomenon is more like a distraction, rather than a real addiction. A means of distracting ourselves from whatever's going on in our lives. Yet, I don't think this is the case with everyone...(the distraction idea).

Citruskiss, in truth a rather strong case could be made for sugar (not food in general) as an addictive substance using the criteria that I posted above:
Tolerance, withdrawal and loss of control. I'll also add in that sugar (and high levels of carbs which become sugar) produces certain changes in brain neurotransmitters (increased seratonin production) and the changes produced are similar to those produced by other addictive drugs. Sugar does produce a calming/mood elevating effect temporarily, but it's a two-edged sword. While sugar increases seratonin production, at the same time it reduces the body's ability to produce the building blocks of seratonin so over a period of time, seratonin production actually drops off.
Even more interesting is the fact that the high blood sugar/low blood sugar cycle produced by a high carb/sugar diet can be a trigger for cravings in someone addicted to a chemical substance (alcohol, for one) and at least one person (I can't remember his name off hand...he's from Alaska) has had remarkable success with alcohol addiction recovery by combining a low carb regimen with addiction recovery. Since my DH works in the addiction recovery field, he's very interested in this connection and we've discussed this several times.

So....food in general as an addictive substance, not likely; most foods simply don't fit the criteria for an addictive substance. Sugar (and high glycemic carbs) as an addictive substance; possibly.
That being said, there are other aspects to addiction besides the substance itself because not everyone who consumes some addictive substances becomes addicted. Alcohol is one example; not everyone who consumes alcohol becomes addicted to it. I believe sugar is similar in that respect.