Sugar is all around us whether we consciously know it or not. It is in the cereals we consume for breakfast, the yogurt we eat for a snack and even the beverages we drink with our meals. While many times it can be obvious when consuming a lot of sugar while eating things like candy bars, drinking soda or consuming one’s favorite Starbucks drink, sometimes the sugar can be hiding from us, such as in many of one’s favorite condiments like BBQ sauce, ketchup, salad dressing and many more.

According to Healthline.com, “Eating sugar releases opioids and dopamine in our bodies. This is the link between added sugar and addictive behavior. When a certain behavior causes an excess release of dopamine, you feel a pleasurable ‘high’ that you are inclined to re-experience, and so repeat the behavior.”

Many people do not realize the consequences of the consumption of excess sugar as the long-term effects of excess sugar have not been as widely known to people. Where it is more commonly known what the effects of harmful drugs can do to one in the future. Many people think a little bit of sugar won’t cause any harm; however, the consequences of excess sugar can be life threatening.

“On the outside, sugar seems pretty harmless, but on the inside, it’s killing us,” said Cassie Bjork, RD, LD.

Everyone’s favorite cookie, Oreos, have been found to be just as addicting, if not more addicting than cocaine in a study performed on rats by scientists at Connecticut College.

“Research on rats from Connecticut College has shown that Oreo cookies activate more neurons in the pleasure center of the rats’ brains than cocaine does,” said Healthline. “A 2008 Princeton study found that rats may become dependent on sugar and that this dependency could be related to several aspects of addiction: cravings, binging, and withdrawal.”

Having a lot of added sugars in one’s diet increases the chance of obesity, heart disease, diabetes and cancer. While this news can be slightly alarming, a little bit of sugar isn’t bad. It is when sugar is consumed in excess amounts and has become a coping mechanism in one’s daily life does sugar become a problem. Thus, it is important we become more aware of what we eat to ensure a long and healthy life.