Sugar and addiction-like effects in animals and people
What it found
In animals, sugar produced bingeing, cravings, withdrawal and opioid-like effects similar to drugs of abuse.
Evidence in both animals and people shows substantial overlap between sugar and addictive drugs in brain chemistry and behaviour.
What they found
Animal and lab studies
Addiction signs in animals
Animal studies found that sugar caused more symptoms than needed to be called addictive. These included bingeing, cravings, tolerance, withdrawal and reward effects similar to drugs.
Opioid link in animals
In animals, sugar dependence appears tied to natural opioids released in the body when sugar is eaten.
Studies in people and animals
Brain and behaviour overlap
Research in both animals and people showed strong similarities between sugar and drugs of abuse. This overlap appeared in brain chemistry as well as in behaviour.
What the authors conclude
- They find that sugar produces addiction-like effects in animals and shares features with drugs of abuse in both animals and people.
- Their work suggests sugar dependence may be linked to natural opioids released when sugar is eaten.
How it was done
Scientists wanted to examine whether sugar can act like an addictive substance. They looked at how added sugars compare to drugs of abuse in the body and brain.
The authors gathered and examined published research on sugar intake. They looked at studies in both animals and humans. The summary does not state how many studies were included or over what time period.
What it can’t tell you
- We summarised it from the abstract only.
- This is a narrative review, so it cannot measure cause and effect on its own.
- Not all animal findings about sugar and addiction have been confirmed in people.
Who paid
- Conflicts
- Competing interests: JJD is the author of The Salt Fix and operates the website thesaltfix.com WLW sells a supplement that contains both L-glutamine and chromium picolinate. JHO’K owns and operates a nutraceutical company.
- Authors work at
- Saint Luke's Mid America Heart Institute, USA; Lahey Health and the Wilson Institute of Neurobiology, USA
The paper
- Title
- Sugar addiction: is it real? A narrative review
- Type
- ReviewThe authors read earlier studies and describe what they found. It isn’t a new study.
- Evidence
- Studies in people · animals · lab
- Summarised from
- Abstract only
- Cite
- DiNicolantonio JJ, O'Keefe JH, Wilson WL (2018). Sugar addiction: is it real? A narrative review. British journal of sports medicine. doi:10.1136/bjsports-2017-097971PubMed 28835408DOI
Summary written 30 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error