Evidence that Carbs and Sugar are Addictive Gaining Momentum
I think this is something that we innately know already through our own experiences with the various foods in our lives and those that we seem to consistently have problems with bingeing on, which usually put a few extra pounds on our frame inevitably, is that carbohydrates (the refined kind) and sugars are actually addictive. Well, now there is some research that suggests it is highly addictive – so much so that it is being compared to the addictive severity of the cigarette, which is addictive because it is such an instant pick me up and creates an almost instant burst of seratonin, one of the feel good chemicals, in the brain.
Studies have recently been carried out with animals that suggest they have the same addictive response they have to other addictive drugs and even nicotine, the active and addictive chemical that is found in cigarettes, to sugars and refined carbs as they do to these other drugs and controlled substances. One thing you can do to minimize their effects is take a good carb blocker supplement.
They say it is conclusive evidence that sugars and carbs are in fact addictive, and that it isn’t just in our mind that once we start we have a hard time stopping these types of foods, and that the “instant gratification” they seem to provide such as elevation in blood sugar and energy and the feel good chemicals (but believe me, it’s very temporary), isn’t just in their minds.
I’ve been a prime example of a carbohydrate and sugar addict since I was child. My preferred dessert used to be white flour tortillas, and I once ate an entire, large chocolate bunny on Easter just because it “felt so good” I couldn’t stop. This later developed into an eating disorder in my life, called bulimia, where I would eat these types of foods until I felt I might burst because they made me feel good, and happy for a little while, but then I would feel disgusted with myself and sick because I consumed so many calories in one sitting, and I would purge myself of the bad foods I just ate.
They say that bulimics most likely suffer from a shortage of natural seratonin levels in the body, and the reason they turn to overeating, bingeing, and gorging themselves, is because of this shortage, and then they look forward to the subsequent rush of endorphins that often accompny a “purging”. It all becomes a vicious cycle of course, as with any other volatile addiction, and the brain chemicals then go completely haywire.
This is of course one of the more extreme examples of carb and food addiction and the effects of the chemical seratonin on the brain, but these types of cases do exist, and they are connected to the seratonin factor as well as the naturally addictive nature of sugars and refined carbs.
I started taking 5htp, a natural supplement which is a relative of tryptophan (the stuff found in turkey that relaxes you), because I read that it naturally helps to increase the seratonin levels, so it’s good for depression and anxiety, and may also help control addictions to certain foods since you are getting adequate levels of feel good chemicals on your own.
