Dutch Endocrinologist Mr. Aart Jan van der Lelij  describes in detail how sugar should actually be treated like a drug. According to the head of Amsterdam's health service sugar is the worst form of addiction a person can have. Its addiction levels are comparable to tobacco and alcohol.

It seems that the body does not treat sugar as food but a sweet addiction. When we are hungry we eat and as soon as the stomach feels full we stop. But, with sugar that is not the case. It is very difficult to stop  eating sugar filled foods. The body acts differently. Even if the tummy is feeling full, the urge to eat more is still there.

The food industry exploits this mechanism of sugar addiction and makes the processed foods unnecessarily sweeter. Often, when people are trying to lose weight sugar could be the main culprit why diets could be failing.

Aart Jan Van wants the government of Netherlands to put warning labels similar to tobacco on foods containing sugar. He also wants the government to put sugar tax.

Sugar is not like heroin or marijuana but it has the same “feel-good” effect as these drugs. It affects the brain hormones in a pattern similar to these drugs. It’s very easy to become a sugar addict –it is cheap and easily available.

In lab studies rats that binged on sugar showed brain changes similar to drug addiction. It hinders the with the body’s metabolism as well. Various studies have linked overconsumption of sugar to memory loss too.

Endsugaraddiction.com is a fantastic and comprehensive website about information and addiction of sugar.

The first step in getting rid of sugar addiction is to first recognize it. Most people with this addiction do not even realize that they have become sugar addicts. Once you have the realization, little changes on a daily basis will make you a sugar-free healthy person.

 Written by Suchitra Sharma