Many people have a special taste for sweet foods. Throughout history, a wide variety of sweet foods and beverages have been invented that feature a flavor that appeals to hundreds of consumers. At the same time, there are many sweets that are characterized by being sweet and pleasant to the taste.
These types of consumable objects are already part of our daily lives and are shared by a large part of our environment. However, excessive sugar consumption is one of the problems that can cause a series of difficulties. If any of this has happened to you or you know someone who has problems with sugar control, this information may be useful for you to have some tools to address this issue. Do you want to know more about this? In this Psychology-Online article, we will provide you with information about the sugar addiction, what are its symptoms, causes, consequences and treatment.
Symptoms of sugar addiction
The consumption of sugar activates search centers located in the brain that cause us to overconsume foods overloaded with sugar. These types of foods generate the release of substances called oxytocin and dopamine, associated with pleasurable sensations. Given this, we will talk about what the most important symptoms of sugar addiction are:
- Cravings related to sweet foods.
- Recurring thoughts about consuming foods with sugar.
- Headaches.
- Irritability.
- Nervousness.
- Anxiety. In this article, we show you different ones.
We must take into account the context in which these symptoms arise to determine if it is a sugar addiction or isolated moments in which we feel like consuming some sweet food. For this reason, the symptoms of sugar addiction should be evaluated by a health professional so that it is possible to study the emotions, behaviors and thoughts of the person who suffers from it.
Causes of sugar addiction
The analysis of the causes that affect sugar addiction is crucial to establish appropriate methods that are useful for each person. Here we will describe the main causes of sugar addiction:
- Environmental factors: situations in our environment in which the person has participated in events related to excessive sugar consumption. In many cases, imitation of behavior corresponds to a characteristic feature of people addicted to sugar. In this way, it is possible that someone has been observed with certain addictive behaviors on foods or other elements, adopting this pattern in their daily life.
- Social stimuli: Another cause of sugar addiction is the influence of the media. These influence people’s decisions through different advertisements associated with consumption. Under these circumstances, images of foods overloaded with sugar present a visual appeal to the consumer whose purpose is to encourage them to eat these foods that are difficult to control.
Consequences of sugar addiction
Excessive consumption of ultra-processed foods with sugar brings a series of direct consequences on health of people. In this section, we will mention the most relevant consequences of sugar addiction:
- Obesity.
- Type II diabetes.
- Heart attacks.
- Hypertension.
- Atherosclerosis.
- Cardiovascular diseases.
- Metabolic syndrome.
- Worsening of mental disorders such as depression and anxiety.
- Alterations in learning and memory capacity. If it happens to you, in this article you will find.
- Weight gain.
Sugar addiction treatment
Given the consequences of sugar addiction, it is important to have treatments that are considerably effective in addressing this problem. Fortunately, there are some interesting alternatives that are useful to overcome this type of addiction. Here we will talk about how to cut sugar addiction:
- Psychological therapy: can help the person understand their emotions, behaviors and thoughts about situations that generate conflict. On the one hand, long-term therapies focus their objective on understanding the reason that has caused a dangerous behavior for a person. On the other hand, short-term therapies provide tools to the patient so that they have other resources when facing situations that generate anxiety, stress, anguish and/or other feelings. In this group we will include systemic therapy.
- Nutritional treatment: Because sugar consumption is related to bad eating habits, visiting a nutritionist can guide the person suffering from this addiction to reorganize their diet and incorporate healthier foods.
- Psychiatric treatment: Sometimes it is necessary to make a psychiatric consultation, given that there are certain neural circuits in the brain that affect excessive sugar consumption. Taking medication should always be guided by a mental health professional.
This article is merely informative, at Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.
If you want to read more articles similar to Sugar addiction: symptoms, causes, consequences and treatmentwe recommend that you enter our category.
Bibliography
- Obregón, A., Fuentes, J., Pettinelli, P. (2015). Association between food addiction and nutritional status in Chilean university students. Medical Journal of Chile, 143 (1), 589-597.
- Rada, P., Avena, N., Hoebel, B. (2005). “Addiction” to sugar: Myth or reality? Venezuelan Journal of Endocrinology and Metabolism, 3 (2), 2-12.