Research paper
DiNicolantonio JJ, O’Keefe JH, Wilson WL. Sugar addiction: is it real? A narrative review. British Journal of Sports Medicine. 2018 Jul;52(14):910-913. doi:10.1136/bjsports-2017-097971
Why we cite it
Narrative review examining whether sugar meets criteria for classification as an addictive substance, synthesizing both animal model and human evidence. Reports that ”In animal studies, sugar has been found to produce more symptoms than is required to be considered an addictive substance”. In humans, it reports ”substantial parallels and overlap” with drugs of abuse, not the same threshold. Authored by a cardiovascular/pharmacy team rather than neuroscientists; it offers a clinical perspective on animal work such as the Avena lab’s (csa01). (Corrected 2026-09-19: In animal studies had dropped from the headline, and foundational is a ranking.) Referenced in companion 119 for sugar withdrawal context.
DOI: 10.1136/bjsports-2017-097971 · PubMed 28835408 · Publisher