ReviewEuropean journal of nutrition2016
Sugar addiction: the state of the science.
Review in European journal of nutrition, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 43 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
43 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 129 citations in OpenAlex.
- Pooled it
- Trial
- Using Best-Worst Scaling to explore the perceived addictiveness of foods by processing level: a cross-sectional study among higher education students in Belgium.Archives of public health = Archives belges de sante publique · 2026Article
- Cultural and Sex-Related Differences in Free-Word Associations with "Sweets": A Multinational Online Study.Nutrients · 2026Article
- YFAS-derived 'sugar addiction symptom scores' are unrelated to BMI or sugar intake.European journal of nutrition · 2026Article
- Assessing maladaptive sugar-rich food consumption: development and preliminary validation of the sugar misuse questionnaire.Frontiers in nutrition · 2026Article
- The Validation of the Persian Version of Sugar Addiction Questionnaire: Factor Structure, Item Analysis and Model Fit.Iranian journal of psychiatry · 2025Article
- Toward consensus: using the Delphi method to form an international expert consensus statement on ultra-processed food addiction.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2025Article
- Individuals' perceptions of the factors linked to everyday soft drink consumption among university students: qualitative study.Frontiers in nutrition · 2024Article
- Microarray Analysis of Visceral Adipose Tissue in Obese Women Reveals Common Crossroads Among Inflammation, Metabolism, Addictive Behaviors, and Cancer: AKT3 and MAPK1 Cross Point in Obesity.Journal of obesity · 2024Article
- Applying psycho-behavioural phenotyping in obesity characterization.Reviews in endocrine & metabolic disorders · 2023Review
- Disentangling the role of NAc D1 and D2 cells in hedonic eating.Molecular psychiatry · 2023Article
- Linking drug and food addiction: an overview of the shared neural circuits and behavioral phenotype.Frontiers in behavioral neuroscience · 2023Review
- Factors increasing the risk for food addiction in Ecuadorian students.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2023Article
- Added sugar intake among the saudi population.PloS one · 2023Article
- Development of the Hedonic Overeating-Questionnaire (HEDO-Q).Nutrients · 2022Article
- Dysmetabolism and Neurodegeneration: Trick or Treat?Nutrients · 2022Review
- Stop the Pop: A Mixed-Methods Study Examining Children's Physical and Emotional Responses during Three Days of Sugary Drink Cessation.Nutrients · 2022Article
- The Effect of Artificial Sweeteners Use on Sweet Taste Perception and Weight Loss Efficacy: A Review.Nutrients · 2022Review
- Effects of chronic bubble tea administration on behavior and cognition in C57BL/6 mice.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
purposeAs obesity rates continue to climb, the notion that overconsumption reflects an underlying 'food addiction' (FA) has become increasingly influential. An increasingly popular theory is that sugar acts as an addictive agent, eliciting neurobiological changes similar to those seen in drug addiction. In this paper, we review the evidence in support of sugar addiction.
methodsWe reviewed the literature on food and sugar addiction and considered the evidence suggesting the addictiveness of highly processed foods, particularly those with high sugar content. We then examined the addictive potential of sugar by contrasting evidence from the animal and human neuroscience literature on drug and sugar addiction.
resultsWe find little evidence to support sugar addiction in humans, and findings from the animal literature suggest that addiction-like behaviours, such as bingeing, occur only in the context of intermittent access to sugar. These behaviours likely arise from intermittent access to sweet tasting or highly palatable foods, not the neurochemical effects of sugar.
conclusionGiven the lack of evidence supporting it, we argue against a premature incorporation of sugar addiction into the scientific literature and public policy recommendations.
Indexed as
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.