Sugar Addiction amongst Latina Women

Sugar Addiction amongst Latina Women

Food addiction is currently a concern to various scientists and medical professionals due to its impact on health issues. Numerous studies show that women are more likely than men addicted to food substances. Food addiction is the abnormal consumption of food substance from an uncontrollable urge. One common food addiction is the overconsumption of food high in sugar. Among the Latin nations, Mexico records a high sugar addiction, with around 5 million sufferings with obesity (Martorell, 2005). It has the highest death rate from chronic diseases caused by sugary food consumption in the world. Due to these facts. There is a need for determining the problem of sugar addiction amongst Latina women through examining the causes and how it affects the population and eventually propagating better treatment modalities.

Sugar addiction is a worldwide problem associated with the dependence of sugary foods and drinks. The prevalence of overconsumption of food substances rich in sugar content among the Latina women is very high. The effects of addictions are similar to drug and substance abuse. It affects the brain neurotransmitters. Such as dopamine and oxytocin impacting the behavior (Avena, Rada & Hoebel, 2008). The study mainly utilized past research analysis though they did not provide data on the treatment approaches on sugar addiction. Through the research, it was evident that most of the sugar addiction prevalence among the Latina women was from the cultural, socioeconomic, and religious factors of the Mexican. Behavioral changes were as a result of psychological issues resulting in impulsivity. Many health morbidity issues among Latina women arise from sugar addiction, which is the main contributor to the health issues of obesity. In addressing sugar addiction, it is essential to incorporate a holistic method addressing the physiological and psychological aspects of habit rather than traditional medicine use as the only way to treat sugar addiction. The study highlights the possible treatment modalities in psychotherapies for addressing the behavioral changes due to the effects of a massive intake of sugar substances.

Many chronic conditions result from obesity, the most significant healthcare-associated with increased morbidity and life expectancy reduction. In a 2016 study involving a population of 1900 million showed that 39% of over 18 world adult population was overweight, with 13% out of the 650 million study group suffered from obesity (Figueroa-Quiñones & Cjuno, 2018). Studies conducted indicate that the problem of obesity is at epidemic levels in the United States, with almost 63% of American females falling victim. Yale Food Addiction Scale (YFAS) in 2009 found the addiction rates of 11.4% and 6.7-8.4% among college students and middle-aged women among the non-Hispanic whites (Berenson et al. 2015). However, these rates tend to increase among Hispanic women in the United States. Mexico, one of the Hispanic nations in which many of its population are immigrants in the U.S, is considered the fattest nation with its 5million causes of obesity contributed to the uptake of sugar substances (Martorell,2005). The study is, however, not only motivated by looking into Mexico to determine why most of the women in America from the Hispanic nations are so much addicted to sugar. But also to provide insights to these addictions, which is affecting many industrialized countries, though, according to Martorell (2005), no other group can offer a much-needed understanding of this epidemic than the Latina women.

Previous studies attribute food addiction to a persistent behavior of taking sugar substances with unsuccessful efforts to control the urge. However, more studies have shown that the problem of food addiction to various socioeconomic and cultural factors. The Latin America woman’s prevalence of sugar substances is due to the economic conditions back into the country. The level of development in Mexico is low. And thus, most of the poor population has no clean water, which makes them take lots of Coca-Cola drinks more often to quench the quest becoming the habit. Most of the low-income groups of the Latina women showed in a study carried out in 2011 recorded a high prevalence in hyper-palatable foods (Pivarunas & Conner, 2015). The resulting behavior is because of the already established addiction back from their country where children are used to taking soda and eating junk foods at a very young age. Changing the environment into a more industrialized country worsens the situation since these hyper-palatable food substances are easily accessible.

The situation is also elevated by the fact that the Coca-Cola beverages company is well established in Mexico. From a World Health Organization report, Mexicans consume more soft drinks than any other people with an estimated 163 liters per year (Martorell, 2005). It records many deaths related to diabetes in all Latin America. The reason for the high consumption of soft drinks is due to economic conditions. The drinking water and other health facilities are scarcely distributed, leaving the soda, the only option since it is cheap than even water (Martorell, 2005). The economic and socioeconomic conditions of poverty and the high prevalence of sugar addiction in these Latin American Women, according to Wiss, Avena & Rada (2018), is due to the theory of availability and consumption of palatable foods and the method of increase in sedentary lifestyles.  According to Wiss, Avena & Rada (2018), people consider taking take-outs than to cook and overreliance in industrialized foods as compared to the “hunter-gatherer ancestors.”

Charles Darwin, in his evolution theory, came up with the suggestion of the emergence of a trait if it was considered to contribute to the survival and increase of a species reproductive success. In his opinion, he provides that prehistoric humans consumed little amounts of toxic substances beneficial to their health (Fortuna, 2010). However, the changing economic activities and evolution in food substances have increased food addiction. Most of the food substances that a person usually took while young remain in their menu and part of them even after they grow up. Therefore in Mexico, children grow while being given sugar substances. Mothers in Latin believe that the fatter their child is, the more it proves that they feed them well (Wiss, Avena & Rada, 2018). Through this belief in a culture of using sugar, substances are developed in the young ones who grow becoming addicted to it. Soft drinks in Mexico are so much important to the extent that a meal is not considered complete without the Coca-Cola drink. It is also used in religious rituals (Martorell, 2005). The fact that it is cheap makes Hispanic develop a culture of taking sugar substances. When the Hispanic population migrates to America, according to Martorell (2005), they partake in these sugary substances to have that sense of belonging to their established customs.

This high prevalence of sugar addiction is attributed to the high cases of obesity, leading to increased cases of diabetes and other related sicknesses due to excessive weight gain and loss. The Yale Food Addiction Scale (YFAS) has empirically shown that most of the people with binge eating disorder are obese individuals, while others require bariatric surgery. Various research did show similarities between food addiction and drug use disorder (Avena, Rada & Hoebel, 2008). They result in behavioral and neurochemical changes in an individual. Some of the effects include bingeing, which is the act of taking unusual large amounts of sugary substances. Sugar addiction causes withdrawal, which is the anxiety created by sugar substance abstinence.

Consequently, the neurotransmitters are affected by the ability of sugar addiction to cause repeated intermittent increases in extracellular dopamine (DA) (Avena, Rada & Hoebel, 2008). As a result, sugar addiction has salient etiological variables such as impulsivity and emotional dysregulation. Sugar addiction affects dopamine within the nucleus, increasing neurotransmitter levels, and activity (Pivarunas & Conner, 2015). The dopamine is responsible for controlling the desire for more consumption. By taking much sugar substances, the neurotransmitters cannot anymore control the cognitive behavior to counter the urge of more use of sugar substances leading to tolerance and withdrawal in case one fails to consume. Impulsivity is the uncontrollable action towards the stimuli reactions generated within the body and in the environment whereby the individual is not concerned with the negative implications of their actions (Pivarunas & Conner, 2015). It causes an individual to lack the ability to persevere the urges. Overweight individuals suffering from binge eating disorder have high levels of impulsivity. Similarly, individuals with an eating disorder exhibit greater emotional dysregulations; these dysregulations explain why women are more addicted to sugar substances than men since women have a more emotional attachment to something than men. Increased sugar substance consumption decreases the emotional intensity of an individual. These means that an individual is no more concerned about the negativity of what they use. The sensitivity of an issue is no longer a concern to someone with low emotional intensity.

These behavioral and neurochemical changes due to the binge eating disorder result in the impulsivity and emotional dysfunction in an individual. Coupled with the cultural and socioeconomic factors facing the Latin women, sugar addiction has negative implications on their lives more than any other woman. Many sugar addictions in the industrialized countries among women happen due to change in social life. However, the case of the Latin women seems can associate with what Charles Darwin envisioned in his theory of evolution of some traits been formed (Wiss, Avena & Rada, 2018).

These associations and norms of Mexican women to the use of sugar substances contribute immensely to the increased number of people suffering from obesity or increased overweight, which in turn causes many other health issues such as increased blood sugar and diabetes. As a result of the high number of deaths registered among the Latina population due to sugar addiction-related medical problems, there is a need for well-defined treatment modalities to address the causes as well as the effects.

In treating binge eating disorder caused by sugar addiction or generally food addiction, the right way of addressing it is by treating the effects while addressing the behavioral and neurochemical changes in an individual. The treatment modalities should address the impact and causes by adopting holistic psychotherapies advocated by the psychologist in changing the mindset of the victim while providing medication for the health effects of food addiction. The rationale for treating the eating disorder is mainly handled through specific psychopathology psychological treatments. The support for cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is beneficial in treating the behavior change of uncontrollable too much eating of sugar substances and the effects caused by variation in the body due to too much weight gain(Iacovino et al. 2012). It also helps in changing the psychology of an individual, which is very helpful in improving the view on the need for sugar substances among the population and deal with the issues of dysfunctional emotions and behaviors contributing to food addiction.

Psychologists support the effectiveness and efficacy of interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT) and dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT) (Iacovino et al. 2012). These methods have shown their considerable advantage in people with binge eating disorders such as sugar addiction. They concern about changing the mindset of the patient while making them become in control of the urge and showing them how to cope with it without giving in to the cravings.

However, with all of these three modalities, one aspect of incorporating in the treatment is the loss of weight of an individual already with a vast body mass index. The possible and most effective way of addressing weight gain is through behavioral weight loss therapy, which enables the patient to learn the importance of physical exercise and observing body weight (Berenson et al. 2015). By incorporating the BWL and the other psychotherapy, they reduce the possibility of a treated patient going back to the habits of consuming too much sugar substances through withdrawals and help them avoid the associated health risk associated with obesity.

The problem of obesity is not only on Latin American women in Hispanic nations, but it is a concern in all countries. America is the leading nation with cases in obesity, but Mexico, which is the second in the obesity cases, is the leading one in deaths related to obesity and diabetes (Martorell, 2005). These similarities and yet distinctive results should interest future researchers on the issue of food addiction and the disparities when it comes to deaths from it in different countries. The concerned parties must come up with possible measures and solutions to this epidemic to avoid the high rate of prevalence since it is detrimental in a country due to the cost needed for treating these health conditions associated with binge eating. As a result of this alarming prevalence and culture, the government of Mexico saw it fit to regulate the soft drinks industry by raising taxations to increase its prices and reduce its affordability (Martorell, 2005). However, these measures alone are not sufficient enough to address the issue, and more needs to be done.

Consequently, this research provides possibilities for future research on the effectiveness and efficacy of medical drugs in treating binge eating disorders (Berenson et al., 2015). More research would provide the binge eating disorder patients with more treatment modalities because most of these modalities require more capital. The majority of the sugar addiction individuals come from low-income families, thus cannot afford these modalities. Future studies should investigate the efficacy of psychotherapy modalities in treating sugar addiction — the relationship between clinical medicines and psychological therapies efficiency when used together. Alternative modalities have been developed and used to treat sugar addiction. Yoga “12 steps recovery” has combined the framework of the 12-steps program with Eastern philosophies and has anecdotally helped individuals connect mind, body, and spirit to aid in their process of healing. However, there is a need for empirical research to prove the effectiveness of this therapy.

References

Avena et al. (2008). Evidence for sugar addiction: Behavioral and neurochemical effects of intermittent, excessive sugar intake. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 32(1), 20-39. doi: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2007.04.019

Berenson et al. (2015). Prevalence of Food Addiction Among Low-Income Reproductive-Aged Women. Journal Of Women’s Health, 24(9), 740-744. doi: 10.1089/jwh.2014.5182

Figueroa-Quiñones, J., & Cjuno, J. (2018). Food addiction in Latin America. Medway, 18(01), e7171-e7171. doi: 10.5867/medwave.2018.01.7171

Fortuna, J. (2010). Sweet Preference, Sugar Addiction, and the Familial History of Alcohol Dependence: Shared Neural Pathways and Genes. Journal Of Psychoactive Drugs, 42(2), 147-151. doi: 10.1080/02791072.2010.10400687

Iacovino et al. (2012). Psychological Treatments for Binge Eating Disorder. Current Psychiatry Reports, 14(4), 432-446. doi: 10.1007/s11920-012-0277-8

Martorell, R. (2005). Diabetes and Mexicans: why the two are linked. Preventing chronic disease, 2(1).

Pivarunas, B., & Conner, B. (2015). Impulsivity and emotion dysregulation as predictors of food addiction. Eating Behaviors, 19, 9-14. doi: 10.1016/j.eatbeh.2015.06.007

Wiss, D., Avena, N., & Rada, P. (2018). Sugar Addiction: From Evolution to Revolution. Frontiers In Psychiatry, 9. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2018.00545