Sugar releases opioids and dopamine in our bodies. This is is the link between added sugar and addictive behaviour. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter. The satisfied feeling we get after consuming it makes it addictive, so we eat more. Sugar addiction can cause serious health problems and can be as addictive as cocaine.
Over time this addiction can cause obesity, diabetes and other medical conditions. Processed foods and refined grains create additional sugar in the body. Once the body metabolises the food, sugar can create a short term “high” and a boost of energy in the body. Too much sugar is especially risky for people suffering from anxiety and stress, because they may crave it to balance irritability, or emotional lows. When there is little control, an addiction has developed. Anxiety causes the stress hormone cortisol to be released in the body. For some people that means not being hungry, for others the stress may cause people who already like sugar into more cravings.