The pleasure mechanism is deeply inscribed in our brain. Pleasure neurotransmitters – serotonin, dopamine, endorphins – are released during pleasant activities that ensure our survival (eating, sex…). Serenity comes when we have balance between all neurotransmitters.

Sugar, extracted, concentrated and pre-chewed in processed foods, overstimulates our nervous system and overactivates the reward system. Neither green beans nor a beef steak trigger this cascade of endorphins.

Science is increasingly catching up with patient testimonies and addiction stories. One study measured sugar’s impact on the brain and reward circuit. Participants who weren’t used to eating sugar often had a strong dopamine release. The reward circuit activated strongly.

However, for people regularly consuming sugary foods, there was practically no activation. The sugar we consume regularly changes our brain. As a result, constant consumption of sugary foods reduces the pleasure we feel when eating them. We therefore need to increase quantities to feel the same level of pleasure.

Except processed products don’t give us nutrients our body needs. We eat more and more, without ever being satisfied. Now addiction sets in.

You’re skeptical about the very notion of sugar addiction? That’s normal! Let’s review 5 common statements of food dependency denial.

• Food addiction isn’t real. There’s no scientific evidence to prove the existence of food addiction

Taking pleasure in eating certainly doesn’t mean we’re dependent. The question is: where do we draw the line between taste enjoyment and distress caused by uncontrollable binges on processed products?

To take the example of alcohol, just because some people can control their consumption doesn’t mean alcoholism doesn’t exist. For many it’s a reality, even a daily nightmare. You wouldn’t think of advising an alcoholic to control themselves or limit their consumption to “just two beers on Saturday night”.

Similar to alcohol, sugar addicts are powerless against their dependency. Consequently, they can’t “just eat less” or “eat only 2 cookies”. It’s a mental obession, which is actually not so difficult to overcome.

• Eating sugar is natural, our body needs it to function. Eliminating sugar is dangerous for health

It’s true that our brain needs about 120 grams of carbohydrates per day to function. However, we haven’t always had sweetened yogurts and cakes for dessert. So how did humans not only survive but also develop for 300,000 years?

Although neurons depend on glucose to function, we don’t need to eat it! As I explain in this article, our body knows very well how to make glucose on its own, and in case of shortage, it actually prioritizes brain cells to ensure they function well.

• Nobody forces people to eat, they’re solely responsible for their weight gain

For decades, tobacco manufacturers denied that nicotine is addictive even though their internal research proved otherwise. The blame was placed on consumers. They just need to smoke less!

Similarly, the food industry does everything today to erase the addiction their processed products can cause. They shift responsibility onto the consumer and not onto the products.

This is a misunderstanding (or intentional ignorance) of addiction mechanisms, of powerlessness against physical cravings, of mental obsessions.

An irrepressible craving for a sweet, fatty and/or very salty food or a need to eat in large quantities is different from real physical hunger. Hunger signals to the mind that the body needs nutrients. Craving signals that the mind/body must eat – it’s like false hunger. Ultimately, addicts feel that their life is potentially in danger if they don’t eat that particular food immediately.

The solution remains total abstinence from processed foods that trigger uncontrollable sugar cravings. In other words, avoid products that make you crack as much as possible. You could for example try the ketogenic diet which has the advantage of excluding craving-triggering products.

• Some people are able to eat sugar and maintain their weight. I should be able to do it too.

First, weight isn’t an indicator of good health. A person can be thin while having visceral fat around their internal organs. This fat, invisible to the naked eye, is dangerous for health. It’s pro-inflammatory and increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer, bad cholesterol, type 2 diabetes…

Second, our microbiome has the same bacterial groups. However, each individual has proportions that are unique to them – that’s the uniqueness of the microbiome. Consequently, we don’t digest a cookie the same way. The intestinal bacteria of the microbiome are unique, our dopaminergic response is different, our hormone balance also varies. Certainly, we’re not all equal when facing the same food.