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Todd Snider concert canceled for Friday at Kirby Center

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Eagles can’t contain Elliott, fall short against Cowboys in fourth quarter

<p>Sugar addiction</p><p>Is that a thing?</p><p>Remember the poem &#8220;A Visit From St. Nicholas?&#8221; This classic holiday chestnut was written by Clement Moore and first published in 1823. It includes the line, &#8220;The children were nestled all snug in their beds, while visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads.&#8221;</p><p>What&#8217;s a sugar-plum, you ask? It&#8217;s a confection called a &#8220;comfit,&#8221; that is a seed, nut or bit of a spice, covered with an outer case of hardened sugar. In antiquity they were quite expensive because of the special skills needed and the time required to build up about 30 layers of sugar coating.</p><p>Do you ever dream of sugary treats?</p><p>Whether it&#8217;s the doughnuts on the counter at work, or the cookies on the counter at home, there&#8217;s something about sugar that makes us crave it.</p><p>Sugar creates body fat, which helped our ancestors prevent starvation. Craving sugar urged us to seek it out as a source energy and ensure survival. But even now that starvation is less prevalent, we still hold on to our love for sugar and tend to eat more than we need, leading to problems like obesity and diabetes. Added sugar turns up in foods like cereals, yogurts and sauces, as well as sodas and juices.</p><p><strong>Is sugar addictive?</strong></p><p>When you hear the word addiction, you tend to think of things like cigarettes, alcohol or drugs. But should you think of sugar, too?</p><p>Generally speaking, there are two aspects of addiction: cravings and withdrawal.</p><p>In a study from Princeton, researchers fed sugar water to rats. The rats who were given sugar had a tendency to binge on it &#8212; they started to crave it. Once the sugar was taken away, the levels of &#8220;feel-good&#8221; chemicals, or dopamine, in the rats&#8217; brains dropped. As the rats&#8217; sugar levels dropped, they developed anxiety and the shakes, signaling withdrawal.</p><p>Research shows that sugar affects the brain in similar ways to addictive drugs. Sugar activates pleasure centers in the brain, releasing &#8220;reward&#8221; chemicals. So, in a sense, yes, you can be addicted to sugar, because you can be addicted to how it makes you feel and averse to the withdrawal symptoms.</p><p>Some experts are even calling for stricter regulations on sugar for this reason</p><p><strong>Added sugar is unhealthy</strong></p><p>Sugar isn&#8217;t all bad. We need it for energy and survival. The problem, however, is not the naturally occurring sugars from fruits and vegetables but added sugars in foods&#8212;specifically sucrose (table sugar) and high fructose corn syrup.</p><p>Most foods today have added sugar in them for flavor. By adding sugar, the food&#8217;s taste is enhanced, increasing the likelihood that you&#8217;ll buy it again. Plus, sugar is cheap, so it isn&#8217;t expensive to make food and drinks that are really sweet. But these sugary foods and drinks can be harmful to your health, so it&#8217;s prudent to limit how much you consume.</p><p>The American Heart Association recommends no more than 37.5 grams (9 teaspoons) of sugar for men and 25 grams (6 teaspoons) for women. Exceeding this amount can result in weight gain, obesity, heart disease, diabetes and even cancer. Remember though that ONE 12 ounce can of a regular soda has between 9 and 13 teaspoons of sugar in it!</p><p>Talk to your doctor or a dietician if you&#8217;re having trouble cutting added sugars out of your diet.</p><p><strong>Consider a sugar detox</strong></p><p>If you think you&#8217;re hooked on sugar, it may be time for a detox.</p><p>There are a few different ways to detox from sugar, but according to some dieticians, the most effective method is to go cold turkey, because weaning yourself off sugar leaves the door open for cravings.</p><p>When detoxing from sugar, it&#8217;s possible that you can have some symptoms of withdrawal. Some withdrawal symptoms are anxiety, fatigue, bad mood and headaches. These symptoms will go away as your body adjusts.</p><p>Even if your cravings are severe, just give it time. In one study, scientists found that half of the subjects detoxing from sugar stopped having intense cravings after two to three days. After six days, 87 percent of the subjects no longer felt symptoms. Their tolerance for sugar also dropped &#8212; 95 percent of subjects felt the food and drinks they used to eat now tasted &#8220;sweeter.&#8221;</p><p>A bit of a bummer talking about this right before Thanksgiving. Go ahead though, treat yourself to a bit of pie and a few treats, but lay off the soda and back off the added sugar &#8230; have a piece of fruit, instead of fruitcake. We want you around for many <strong></strong>more Thanksgivings.</p><style>
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<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Alfred Casale</p><p>To Your Health</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Dr. Alfred Casale, a cardiothoracic surgeon, is Associate Chief Medical Officer for Geisinger Health and Chair of the Geisinger Cardiac Institute. Readers may write to him via ae@www.timesleader.com.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Dreaming of sugar plums? Don’t overindulge