Sugar can be addictive notes Princeton researcher

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Friday, July 16, 2010 12:33 pm Email this article
Sugar can be addictive notes Princeton professor Bart Hoebel and his team from the Department of Psychology and the Princeton Neuroscience Institute in Princeton, New Jersey, USA.

Until now, they have found that rats given sugar show a pattern of increased intake and signs of withdrawal. New experiments show cravings and relapse.

"Craving and relapse are critical components of addiction, and we have been able to demonstrate these behaviors in sugar-bingeing rats in a number of ways," Hoebel said.

"We have the first set of comprehensive studies showing the strong suggestion of sugar addiction in rats and a mechanism that might underlie it." Cravings and Relapse

Rats taught to binge on sugar, work harder to get it after being denied

Rats that first taught to binge on sugar, and then were denied for prolonged periods of time, worked harder to get it when it was reintroduced.

 

Consumed More Than Ever Before

The rats consumed more sugar than ever before when it was reintroduced

“They consumed more sugar than they ever had before, suggesting craving and relapse behavior. Their motivation for sugar had grown.”

“In this case, abstinence makes the heart grow fonder,” Hoebel said.

 

Findings Presented

Findings presented at American College of Neuropsychopharmacology meeting Dec 7-11, 2008

He presented the findings at the annual meeting of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology in Scottsdale, Arizona, USA which took place December 7-11, 2008.

 

Additional Study Info

Additional information about the studies posted here

Additional information about sugar addiction are posted here.

REFERENCE

Hoebel B, Avena N, Rada P. Sugar can be addictive, princeton scientist says : Animal studies show sugar dependence. Press Release from Princeton University. 2008 Dec 10, http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-12/pu-scb120908.php.

AUTHOR’S CONTACT INFORMATION

Bart Hoebel
Department of Psychology
Princeton University
Princeton, NJ 08540, USA
(609) 258-4463 phone
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