Kick The Habit or It Will Kick you

George DiGianni Health and Wellness

Health educator Dr. Julie Gatza is one of the nation’s top chiropractic physicians with more than 20 years of clinical practice. A highly popular speaker, she has designed and presented hundreds of wellness workshops for both patients and practitioners where she’s addressed a wide range of health issues with a focus on the role that digestion plays in maintaining a healthy immune system.

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Every year at this time, Halloween, Thanksgiving, then Christmas, we're bombarded with the sight of sugared treats in our own home, and parties to match.

While we're aware of the dangers of sugar connected to weight gain, I am unsure how many are aware of the connection between sugar and disease. Cancer, heart disease and my guess are sugar can be connected to almost any disease is its part of our daily life.

I say this because we know most disease is connected to chronic inflammation. We also know sugar disrupts pH balance (alkaline vs acidity ratio) and increases inflammation. Add that to mental stress and you have a recipe for disaster. It's only a matter of time before your unwanted result is "baked"

In this episode, we will discuss how sugar affects our neurological receptors in the brain by producing opium-like effects, similar to being addicted to amphetamine(1), alcohol(1) and nicotine and withdrawal and cravings.

REFERENCES:

(1)Avena, N.M., Rada, P., & Hoebel, B.G. (2008). Evidence for sugar addiction: Behavioural and neurochemical effects of intermittent, excessive sugar intake. Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews, 32 (1), 20-39.

(2)Wideman, C.H., Nadzam, G.R., & Murphy, H.M. (2005). Implications of an animal model of sugar addiction, withdrawal and relapse for human health. Nutritional Neuroscience, 8 (5/6), 269-276.

(3)Colantuoni, C., Rada, P., McCarthy, J., Patten, C., Avena, N.M., Chadeayne, A., & Hoebel, B.G. (2002). Evidence that intermittent, excessive sugar intake causes endogenous opioid dependence. Obesity Research, 10 (6), 478-488.

(4)Avena, N.M., Rada, P., & Hoebel, B.G. (2009). Sugar and fat bingeing have notable differences in addictive-like behavior. The Journal of Nutrition, 139, 623-628.

(5)Parker, G., Parker, I., & Brotchie, H. (2006). Review: Mood states of chocolate. Journal of Affective Disorders, 92 (2-3), 149-159.