I'm a slaaave...to sugar?

We all know Britney likes junk food--Cheetos washed down with a Frappucino seem to be her own personal Breakfast of Champions. But is it a signal of some kind of addiction? Yesterday I was on the L in Chicago, reading the Chicago Tribune, and there was a small news item showing the pop star at her recent birthday bash, her white fur(ry) coat offset by a delish-looking chocolate cake. Next to the photo, a doctor who specializes in teaching men and women about the power of food, describes her eating behavior as ''very frightening'' and calls her ''a person who's completely addicted to sugar. This is like heroin for a junkie. She's literally on a roller coaster to hell.''

Whoa! Don't hold back, doc! Tell us what you really think! I do believe that food can turn into an addiction for some people--whether you're abusing it by eating too much or too little. Obviously, it's never really about the FOOD, but what those cream puffs represent, emotionally (comfort, sadness, emptiness, celebration, escape.) But on par with heroin? I admit, I don't know if this is true, medically-speaking, so I'm interested in hearing what WG readers have to say: Is sugar addictive for you? And if so, how bad does the craving get? Are we talking, "Three jelly beans will send me into a weekend-long binge" or "I notice if I have some cake at a birthday party, I get a little hyper and wind up eating an extra piece for no reason"?

Comments

Wah, there's no 'I can take it or leave it' option.

Sugar I can do without. Put a bowl of mashed potatoes in front of me, and you had better get OUT OF MY WAY.

Chocolate takes over more time in my brain than it should. And my willpower is no match for fried/fatty foods. Just this weekend I found myself mowing on my boyfriends leftovers even when I wasn't hungry and trying to tell myself to stop.

The research seems to back up the addiction theory, Leslie. Harvard and other luminaries have done many studies on this issue of (sob) sugar addiction. It basically follows the same pathways as opiates and, weirdly, responds to methadone interventions. Weird huh? I don't want to plug my own blog on yours but I've got all the links to the studies if you (or anyone else) is interested. Plus, anecdotally, it holds true for me. Sugar affects my mood, my energy levels, even my skin. If I can just get past 4 weeks without sugar I really don't crave it anymore. Unfortunately it is IN EVERYTHING!! Aggh! I'm an addict... well, at least I'm in good company!