Nutrition

Sugar Found to be More Addictive than Cocaine!

Intense Sweetness Surpasses Cocaine Reward

by Magalie Lenoir, Fuschia Serre, Lauriane Cantin, and Serge H. Ahmed

Background

Refined sugars (e.g., sucrose, fructose) were absent in the diet of most people until very recently in human history. Today overconsumption of diets rich in sugars contributes together with other factors to drive the current obesity epidemic. Overconsumption of sugar-dense foods or beverages is initially motivated by the pleasure of sweet taste and is often compared to drug addiction. Though there are many biological commonalities between sweetened diets and drugs of abuse, the addictive potential of the former relative to the latter is currently unknown.

Methodology/Principal findings

Here we report that when rats were allowed to choose mutually-exclusively between water sweetened with saccharin–an intense calorie-free sweetener–and intravenous cocaine–a highly addictive and harmful substance–the large majority of animals (94%) preferred the sweet taste of saccharin. The preference for saccharin was not attributable to its unnatural ability to induce sweetness without calories because the same preference was also observed with sucrose, a natural sugar. Finally, the preference for saccharin was not surmountable by increasing doses of cocaine and was observed despite either cocaine intoxication, sensitization or intake escalation–the latter being a hallmark of drug addiction.

Conclusions

Our findings clearly demonstrate that intense sweetness can surpass cocaine reward, even in drug-sensitized and -addicted individuals. We speculate that the addictive potential of intense sweetness results from an inborn hypersensitivity to sweet tastants. In most mammals, including rats and humans, sweet receptors evolved in ancestral environments poor in sugars and are thus not adapted to high concentrations of sweet tastants. The supranormal stimulation of these receptors by sugar-rich diets, such as those now widely available in modern societies, would generate a supranormal reward signal in the brain, with the potential to override self-control mechanisms and thus to lead to addiction.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1931610/

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Select your state below to find an event near you and then invite your friends. The event description, event location, event time and date are listed. If you need the name and email address or phone number of an event contact and/or organizer please send an email to events@hemphistoryweek.com or call Jamie Trowbridge at 202-232-8997 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 202-232-8997 end_of_the_skype_highlighting.

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Super Foods! – Nutrition by Natalie

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Nutrition by Natalie
Super Foods

In this video Natalie talks you around the world to learn about some of the most nutrition foods that exist. Some of these were actually discovered in region where the inhabitants have extended life spans dues to these foods in their diet.

This video includes low calorie all natural foods that can be used instead of sugar.

The foods gone over in this video include Quinoa, Goji Berries, Acai Berries, Wheat Grass, Spirulina, Hemp Protein, Agave Nectar and Stevia.

Any of these foods can be purchased at a local health food store.

Please visit Natalie’s website at

http://www.nutritionbynatalie.com

This video was produced by Psychetruth

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© Copyright 2007 Zoe Sofia. All Rights Reserved.

This video maybe displayed in public, copied and redistributed for any strictly non-commercial use in its entire unedited form. Alteration or commercial use is strictly prohibited.

Duration : 0:10:46

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7 Nutrition Fundamentals for Losing Fat

Dr Clay shares 7 fundamental nutrition tips that serve as the foundation of any good diet.

Duration : 0:7:32

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Top 10 Worst Foods – Nutrition By Natalie

Be My Friend – http://www.myspace.com/psychtruth

Nutrition by Natalie

Top Ten Worst Foods

Natalie counts down the 10 worst foods you could eat. Chances are if you eat an average American diet, you ate at least three of these today.

In a fast food nation, eating healthy food becomes difficult to do. Yet a poor diet contributes to low energy, obesity, stress, health problems and high medical bills.

If you eat better, you will feel better and this video discusses some of the foods you should avoid.

Please visit Natalies website at

http://www.nutritionbynatalie.com

This video was produced by Psychetruth

http://www.myspace.com/psychtruth

http://www.youtube.com/psychetruth

http://www.livevideo.com/psychetruth

Duration : 0:9:59

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