A way to stub out sugar cravings?
Anti-smoking drugs could be used to stop people craving sugar, according to ground-breaking research.
|||London - Anti-smoking drugs could be used to stop people craving sugar, according to ground-breaking research.
Scientists have found that a drug commonly-prescribed to wean heavy smokers off nicotine could also reduce the brain’s dependence on sugary treats.
They said that sugar affects “reward pathways” in the brain in the same was as drugs or alcohol, meaning foods high in sugar can be just as addictive. Those who eat a lot of sugar develop deeper cravings and need to consume ever more to feel the same “high”.
The discovery could prove a significant breakthrough in the war on obesity, and in tackling worsening rates of diabetes, cancer and heart attacks.
The Australian researchers looked at the way smoking cessation drugs, including Champix, reduce cravings by modulating the release of dopamine – a chemical that controls the brain’s reward and pleasure centres and is generated by smoking or alcohol.
But in studies on mice, the team found they also work on sugar addiction, reported the journal PLOS ONE. Because Champix is already approved by the Food and Drug Administration, the team hopes that clinical trials to approve it as a treatment for sugar cravings would not be far off.
Lead researcher Masroor Shariff, of Queensland University of Technology, said: “Sugar affects the reward pathway in the brain, as do all other drugs of abuse. How Champix works is to modulate dopamine release in the rewards circuitry of the brain... It makes us believe that we have enough dopamine that is needed so we don’t get any cravings.
“We have shown in our studies so far that it also contributes to lowering sugar consumption.”
He added: “It is perhaps not for everyone... but certainly if and when it is warranted, it is an added tool that a person can use to control their weight gain.”
Daily Mail