Sugar and addiction: what animal and human studies show
What it found
In animal studies, sugar produced more signs of addiction than needed to call a substance addictive, and both animal and human research shows overlaps with drugs of abuse.
The authors say sugar addiction may really be a dependence on the body's own opioids released when sugar is eaten.
What they found
Animal and lab studies
Signs of addiction in animals
In animal studies, sugar produced more symptoms than are required for a substance to be considered addictive. These included bingeing, craving, tolerance and withdrawal.
Drug-like effects in animals
Animal data showed significant overlap between eating added sugars and drug-like effects. These included cross-sensitisation, cross-tolerance, cross-dependence, reward and opioid effects.
What sugar addiction may be
Sugar addiction seems to be a dependence on the natural opioids the body releases when sugar is taken in. This is based on animal data.
Studies in people and animals
Parallels with drugs of abuse
In both animals and humans, the evidence shows substantial parallels and overlap between drugs of abuse and sugar. This covers brain chemistry as well as behaviour.
What the authors conclude
“Sugar addiction seems to be dependence to the natural endogenous opioids that get released upon sugar intake.”
Also in their conclusions
- They say sugar addiction seems to be dependence to the natural endogenous opioids that get released upon sugar intake.
- They report that in both animals and humans the evidence shows substantial parallels and overlap between drugs of abuse and sugar, from the standpoint of brain neurochemistry as well as behaviour.
What it can’t tell you
- We summarised it from the abstract only.
- Much of the evidence comes from animal studies, which can't show what happens in people.
- The human evidence described is about parallels and overlap, not proof that sugar causes addiction 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 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error