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  #1   ^
Old Tue, Dec-04-18, 13:25
Demi's Avatar
Demi Demi is offline
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Default Children cutting out sugar ‘suffer like drug addicts’

Quote:
From The Times
London, UK
4 December, 2018

Children cutting out sugar ‘suffer like drug addicts’

Teenagers get withdrawal symptoms when they are deprived of sugary drinks for three days, a study has found.

Researchers from the University of California found that a group of teenagers who switched to milk and water reported headaches, less motivation to work, cravings for sugary drinks and lower overall wellbeing.

There were 25 participants aged 13 to 19 in the study, published in the journal Appetite. All were overweight or obese and normally had at least three sugar-sweetened drinks a day, before going “cold turkey” for three days.

Jennifer Falbe, the lead author, said: “An abundance of research points to sugary drinks as contributing to a number of chronic diseases. Our findings — that these drinks may have addictive properties — make their ubiquitous availability and advertising to youth even more concerning for public health.”

The youngsters kept drinks diaries and submitted saliva samples to test for caffeine intake. Most were not big caffeine consumers before the study began and the researchers said that this reduced the likelihood that they were just suffering from caffeine withdrawal.

They said: “High sugar intake activates similar neural circuitry and reward systems as substances of abuse. Adolescence is a particularly susceptible period for addiction, when still- developing brains are highly sensitive to substances and when risk-taking is more likely.”

However, they acknowledged that their results would need to be replicated in a larger sample and that many findings were y “borderline significant”.

The researchers concluded: “These results, combined with present and future corroborating evidence, could inform clinical practice around helping adolescents reduce sugar-sweetened beverage intake, have important implications for messaging in public-health campaigns and inform the need for efforts to reduce sugar-sweetened beverage advertising to youth and those drinks’ availability in and around schools.”

MPs on the science and technology committee have concluded that there is not enough evidence to support a ban on the sale of energy drinks to children. However, they said that “societal concerns” might justify such a move.

Their inquiry was started in response to research showing that young people in the UK were the biggest consumers of energy drinks in Europe for their age group. Norman Lamb, chairman of the committee, said: “Throughout this inquiry the committee has heard a range of concerns warning of the impact energy drinks can have on the behaviour of young people.

“This varied from a lack of concentration in the classroom and hyperactivity to the effects on physical health. It’s clear from evidence we received that disadvantaged children are consuming energy drinks at a higher rate than their peers.

“Although the committee feels there is not enough scientific evidence alone to support a blanket ban, we support voluntary bans by retailers — many of whom have recognised the negative impact associated with such products.”

He said that it was unclear whether energy drinks were more harmful than other soft drinks.

Tom Sanders, professor emeritus of nutrition and dietetics at King’s College London, said the study was very small and that nine of the 25 participants did not fully comply with instructions.

He added: “It is well established that consumption of sugary drinks is habit- forming but not addictive in the classical definition. It certainly does not warrant claims that sugar is addictive on a par with heroin or cocaine.”

Andreas Kadi, secretary-general of Energy Drinks Europe, which represents the industry, said: “Portion control, of all foods and beverages, is the most efficient way of reducing obesity in all ages.”



https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/...dicts-mxqmvqdrx
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  #2   ^
Old Tue, Dec-04-18, 16:30
fred42 fred42 is offline
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Default

This reminds me of Jimmy Kimmel's annual "Ate All Their Halloween Candy" prank. Everyone just thinks it's funny, but these little abused addicts are just crying out for help.
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  #3   ^
Old Wed, Dec-05-18, 09:09
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teaser teaser is offline
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Default

Quote:
He added: “It is well established that consumption of sugary drinks is habit- forming but not addictive in the classical definition. It certainly does not warrant claims that sugar is addictive on a par with heroin or cocaine.”


Heroin is not addictive on a par with cocaine. Neither is either equivalently addictive as opium. And the pathways by which opiates and cocaine are addictive are going to be very different. For that matter, aspirin is not a painkiller to the degree that various opiates are pain killers. Putting it out of the class of painkillers for that reason doesn't really make sense.

The classical definition of addiction? He's only pointing out that there's a sense of the word addiction that doesn't really apply to sugar. That might be a good rebuttal to the headline of this article, and to anything the Daily Mail is likely to post about this study.

But not to

Quote:
They said: “High sugar intake activates similar neural circuitry and reward systems as substances of abuse.


or;

Quote:
“An abundance of research points to sugary drinks as contributing to a number of chronic diseases. Our findings — that these drinks may have addictive properties — make their ubiquitous availability and advertising to youth even more concerning for public health.”


Where does this say that sugar is as addictive as cocaine? or as heroin? "Addictive properties." May have. This is not an over the top, our children might as well be on meth, sort of statement. The newspapers set up a straw man, and sugar apologists have no trouble knocking it down. If it's uncomfortable to stop taking a substance that's harmful to you, and has a strong reward quality, whether we want to call it addictive or not, that's likely to contribute to habit formation, one stop shopping for both positive and negative reinforcement.





Quote:
Andreas Kadi, secretary-general of Energy Drinks Europe,


Sorry, did they say something? I stopped paying attention after reading who they were.
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  #4   ^
Old Wed, Dec-05-18, 13:21
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GRB5111 GRB5111 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by fred42
This reminds me of Jimmy Kimmel's annual "Ate All Their Halloween Candy" prank. Everyone just thinks it's funny, but these little abused addicts are just crying out for help.

Exactly, and the response is not limited to children. There's a good reason we use the term, "hangry." In addition, when I discuss low carb with others, the surprised expressions are usually in response to the lifestyle changes one must make in order to sustain health. "I could never give up bread," or "I couldn't live without desserts or sweets, I need my sweet treats," are responses I've gotten when people react to how I eat. Comfort food is simply a term for the period of time in one's life before the symptoms start leading to an early death due to the consumption of processed carbs and sweets. It's a slow incubation period, but it usually doesn't discriminate. If this isn't a form of addiction, then someone is confusing the definition.
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  #5   ^
Old Thu, Dec-06-18, 06:26
Zei Zei is offline
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Even gambling is addictive without consuming any substance so why not eating sugar. Yes it is.
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  #6   ^
Old Thu, Dec-06-18, 07:05
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Calianna Calianna is online now
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Zei
Even gambling is addictive without consuming any substance so why not eating sugar. Yes it is.

Or starch - hence the ad campaign for potato chips "Betcha can't eat just one".
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