Research paper
Ahmed SH, Guillem K, Vandaele Y. Sugar addiction: pushing the drug-sugar analogy to the limit. Current Opinion in Clinical Nutrition and Metabolic Care. 2013 Jul;16(4):434-439. doi:10.1097/MCO.0b013e328361c8b8
Why we cite it
Review examining the validity of the drug-sugar analogy, drawing on both human evidence and the authors’ own animal model research (Lenoir et al. 2007). Argues that sugar and sweet reward can not only substitute for cocaine but can be more rewarding and attractive, due to evolutionary pressures that built robust neural pathways for calorie-seeking. Provides the evolutionary framing for why sugar reduction is genuinely difficult. Referenced in kas03 for taste calibration and reward robustness.
DOI: 10.1097/MCO.0b013e328361c8b8 · PubMed 23719144 · Publisher