Why is sugar addictive?

Answer 1

Sugary foods provide lots of energy in a form that our bodies can quickly use. We need energy to live and breathe and even to sleep.

Sugar has 4 kcalories of energy in every gram which is about 20 kcalories in a teaspoon of sugar.

Protein and complex carbohydrates also have 4 kcalories of energy in every gram, and fat contains 9 kcalories. But our bodies take longer to digest these, so the energy takes longer to get to us. Sugar energy is almost immediate.

It's easy to consume more energy than we need because sugar is added to so many foods and drinks.

When your body has more sugar than it needs for energy it begins to convert the sugar into body fat and stores it. So if you don't do enough exercise, and keep on eating lots of sugar, your body could become bigger.