Dopamine Addiction – How to Stop Snacking on Sweets?

What is dopamine?

Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that carries signals between nerve cells. Dopamine is particularly known as a “pleasure neurotransmitter”, but its role in the human body is much more complex. It participates in many processes, such as learning or controlling movement and emotions.

Dopamine is released in various “pleasurable” situations, such as:

• Socialising. Getting together, talking to friends or hugging with loved ones give us a sense of happiness and dopamine release.
• Achieving success. Associated with the secretion of dopamine is the feeling of satisfaction resulting, for example, from closing a project at work, completing a demanding task or – seemingly trivial – ticking off one of the items on a “to do” list.
• Receiving praise. A compliment, appreciation for efforts at work, or even a virtual like are also stimuli that cause dopamine release.
• Physical activity. Exercise stimulates the release of endorphins, thus increasing the production of dopamine, which in turn deepens feelings of happiness and fulfilment.
• Expectation of pleasure. Planning to go on holiday, visualising or dreaming can also stimulate dopamine release.
• Learning and discovering new things. Acquiring knowledge, learning new skills or finding new ways to solve problems are also stimuli that activate the secretion of the “happiness neurotransmitter”.
• Shopping. It gives us a sense of satisfaction, and thus triggers dopamine release.
• Reactions on social media. Scrolling social media, as well as receiving virtual “stimuli” such as likes, hearts and notifications, is also a signal for the body to release dopamine.
• Eating. In particular, the immediate stimulus for dopamine release is highly tasty food, such as fast food and sweets (but not only!).

Dopamine is closely linked to the processes of learning, remembering, and forming habits – both beneficial and harmful, leading to compulsive behaviour and addictions. This is due to its specific role in the brain’s reward system.

Dopamine secretion is not only about inducing “feelings of pleasure”, but also (or primarily) a response to the expectation of reward. The brain releases dopamine as early as the anticipation of a reward, which mobilises us to act. Thus, the release of dopamine can already be triggered by, for example, the smell of your favourite cake (you expect to eat it soon), the sound of opening a packet of crisps or a can of soda (you know they are about to be consumed), and scrolling (in anticipation of the release of dopamine when you receive a notification). Dopamine is thus crucial in motivating us to take actions that lead to “getting rewards”, but at the same time it can lead to the perpetuation of harmful habits.

Dopamine release is not just about objectively “pleasant” situations. Sometimes dopamine is also secreted as a result of stress or in anticipation of a negative event, which helps the body better “control” its response to such a stimulus.

There are different types of dopamine neurons that can perform different functions in the brain depending on the context and situation. Dopamine-related disorders and diseases include, for example, schizophrenia, depression and Parkinson’s disease, but also various types of addiction.

Dopamine is a versatile and enigmatic neurotransmitter in the human brain, whose exact function is still not fully understood. Calling dopamine a “pleasure neurotransmitter” is widely accepted, but contains many oversimplifications.

What role does dopamine play in addiction?

According to the definition, addiction is something that involves repeating a behaviour despite knowing that it is harmful. The official definition of addiction is: “Continuous and compulsive relapse into a substance or behaviour, despite the harm to self or others that it entails”.

Addictions are often linked to a vicious circle:

1. You do something that gives you temporary pleasure.
2. You are aware that it is something harmful or inconsistent with your long-term goals, so a moment after doing it you feel worse.
3. You do it again to feel temporary relief and “forget the worry”.
4. You feel worse, so you go back to square one for temporary pleasure.

 The brain’s reward system, responsible for the feeling of pleasure, may have a significant influence on the mechanism of formation and perpetuation of many addictions.

The activation pathway of the reward system begins with a stimulus (such as eating a cube of chocolate). In response to this, dopamine neurons located in different areas of the brain are activated and release dopamine. Dopamine reaches, for example, the nucleus accumbens, which is part of the reward system, and the prefrontal cortex, which is responsible for decision-making and planning. Thus, subjective pleasure is felt, but motivation is also bolstered. This process is designed to motivate us to repeat the behaviour that brings pleasure (i.e. in this example – to eat chocolate). So we can say that our brains are programmed to repeat pleasant experiences.

It is an evolutionary adaptation that allowed our ancestors to strive to extend the species, acquire high-energy food, and effectively build social bonds. However, in today’s world, this way of the reward system’s operation and its link to dopamine can lead to developing compulsive behaviour or even addictions. From this process comes the so-called dopamine theory of addiction.

However, this is not the only explanation for the mechanisms of addiction – as they are complex and depend on many factors, including brain chemistry and individual predispositions. Addiction is a complex neurobiological process involving other neurotransmitters, such as serotonin, GABA, glutamate and the opioid system. Dopamine is mainly associated with the initial phase of addiction, and as the addiction deepens, other factors may take over a key role. Psychological and social interactions, for example, are also very important, so the whole environment of functioning.

Addictions and their formation is a very complex problem that does not come down to mere “problems with the reward system” or dopamine secretion. Undoubtedly, however, the secretion of dopamine and our brain’s perpetual “search” for it is strongly associated with the difficulty of refraining from reaching for a salty snack or sweets.

Is there an “addiction” to sugar, sweets or food?

The concept of “addiction” to food, sugar or sweets is controversial. On the one hand, many people experience strong cravings for sweets, the fulfilment of which can be comparable to the behaviour of those addicted to psychoactive substances such as alcohol or nicotine. On the other hand, however, unlike psychoactive substances, food does not cause biochemical addiction.

Simply activating the reward system or triggering dopamine release is not enough to say that any products have “addictive potential”. According to scientific consensus, “addiction to sweets” or sugar are colloquial terms and are accepted in this form. However, this does not mean, of course, that the problem of excessive reaching for sweets, fast food or other treats does not exist. The only controversy is over the terminology and the labelling of compulsive eating of certain food products as “addiction”.

Why is it so hard to stop snacking on sweets?

Whether or not a formal “addiction to sweets” exists, the fact is that many people find it difficult to refrain from snacking on sweets – even when they are fully aware of their negative health effects. However, we often ignore these downsides in order to gain temporary pleasure.

What makes it so hard to stop snacking on sweets? Many factors – from biological to psychological to social. Here are some of them:

• Dopamine release and activation of the reward mechanism. Eating sweets undoubtedly causes dopamine release, so the brain associates this with feelings of satisfaction and euphoria. The habit of reaching for sweets is perpetuated because the brain “learns” that it is a good way to achieve pleasure.
• Evolutionary adaptation to seek energy-dense food. From the evolutionary perspective, our ancestors were adapted to seek high-calorie food that provided the energy needed to survive in harsh conditions. The sweet (and fatty) taste was an indicator of the presence of easily digestible calories. The brain has learned to reward the behaviour of obtaining calorific food. Although we don’t currently have to fight for survival like our ancestors did, we react to food in the same way.
• Emotional eating. Snacking on sweets can also be a reaction to emotions: stress, sadness, anger, and even boredom. For many people, sweets act as an emotion regulator, providing temporary relief and mood enhancement. Reaching for sweets can become a habit in overwhelming or uncomfortable situations, and the dopamine release that food triggers further perpetuates it.
• Childhood habits. Many eating habits are formed in childhood. This is where treating sweets as a reward, praise, celebration or consolation begins, giving them a unique meaning. Subconsciously, they can be associated with positive emotions or comfort, which means that – even when we are adults – sweets are still the answer to difficult emotions or a hard day.
• Hypoglycaemia. Sugar drops can be caused by reactive hypoglycaemia, a high glycaemic index diet or diabetes. Low glucose levels cause fatigue, weakness and dizziness, and when such a condition occurs, the body wants to get out of it as quickly as possible. One of the natural reactions to hypoglycaemia is cravings for sweet products, which are a source of simple carbohydrates. This is the biological explanation for cravings for sweets.
• Easy access to sweets. When looking for an answer to the question of why it is so difficult to stop snacking on sweets, one can’t help but mention the practical aspect – their easy availability. We find them in vending machines, stores, at gas stations... We are also encouraged to reach for sweet snacks by advertisements, thus “feeding” the mechanism of the promise of reward and causing dopamine release.

How to stop snacking on sweets? Practical tips

Contrary to popular belief, reducing snacking on sweets does not require tremendous motivation at all. An effective way of building healthy habits and breaking unhealthy ones can be the so-called micro-habits method. It involves skilfully managing one’s own resources and capabilities, and gradually achieving a goal in small steps. Here are some elements to include in this strategy:

1. Consider whether you have the right resources for change, and if you don’t – get them first.

Realistically assess your options, taking into account your daily schedule, free time, finances and mental condition. If until now you haven’t spent a minute in the kitchen, and your diet has been based on store snacks, cooking 5 different meals a day would have to involve rearranging your entire day. You need to change something in your lifestyle, make time for it or change your priorities.

If you never take lunch to work, and only have a vending machine with unhealthy snacks and sweets at work, no wonder you snack on them a lot. Plan your day so that you take lunch with you or buy it on your way to work.

Realistically assess the feasibility of adhering to the resolutions. Remove obstacles standing in the way and manage resources so that building new habits becomes feasible.

2. Make simple resolutions.

Set small, realistic goals that are achievable for you. Instead of planning: “I won’t eat sweets for the rest of the year”, set yourself a micro-goal: “I won’t eat sweets while working / in the evening / while watching a film”. Another excellent micro-goal would be this resolution: “I will learn 5 balanced fit recipes for sweets”. Keep your resolutions simple, and only go one step further and turn them into long-term goals once you have achieved short-term ones. Celebrate small successes and reward yourself for them in ways other than food.

3. Take small steps and set the bar low.

Don’t expect to completely give up eating sweets overnight. Even if you manage to persevere in your resolve for a while, on a bad day you may “crack” and fall back into the spiral of an unhealthy habit.

Start with small steps that will bring you closer to the goal. Here are some moderate restrictions you can introduce:

• Reduce the portion. Instead of eating a whole bar of chocolate, limit yourself to a small candy bar, and buy a smaller packet of crisps instead of a larger one.
• Once a day, instead of reaching for sweets, reach for a fruit.
• Before reaching for something sweet, have a balanced snack and resolve that you “may” eat the candy later if the craving doesn’t go away.
• Feel like having something sweet? Wait 20 minutes. You may even set the stopwatch! If you continue to want to eat the candy in question after this time, do so. Perhaps the urge will pass, and even if it doesn’t – the goal has been achieved because you have managed to wait 20 minutes.

4. Maintain a positive attitude.

It is much more effective to maintain a positive attitude than to look for motivation in negativity. Instead of thinking: “I have to stop eating sweets because I don’t like myself”, try thinking positively: “I want to take care of my body, my health, and cut down on sweets to help myself do that”. Find the positive effects that you can get from achieving your goal and focus on them.

5. Work on your emotions.

Excessive snacking on sweets, salty snacks and other unhealthy products is often associated with emotional eating. Work on it, for example with the help of mindful eating techniques. Also learn to distinguish between physical hunger and emotional one.

6. Get over with the myth of motivation.

Many people who want to change something in their lives fail already at the stage of “searching for motivation”. Motivation is often seen as a key factor for success, but it is not always necessary to achieve goals. Research shows that relying solely on motivation may not be enough, since by definition it is variable and difficult to keep at a high level for long periods of time. Instead of focusing solely on motivation, it is worth promoting persistence and consistency in action. Take regular, small steps toward your goal. Unlike motivation, they do not require continuous, intense and emotional involvement in the change process.

_References:

• _{Westwater M. L., Fletcher P. C., Ziauddeen H., Sugar addiction: the state of the science, Eur J Nutr. 2016 Nov;55(Suppl 2):55-69, doi: 10.1007/s00394-016-1229-6. Epub 2016 Jul 2, PMID: 27372453; PMCID: PMC5174153.}
• _{Hill A. J., The psychology of food craving, Proc Nutr Soc. 2007;66(2):277-285, doi:10.1017/S0029665107005502.}
• _{Weingarten H. P., Elston D., Food cravings in a college population, Appetite. 1991;17(3):167-175, doi:10.1016/0195-6663(91)90019-o.}
• _{Nutt D. J., Lingford-Hughes A., Erritzoe D., Stokes P. R., The dopamine theory of addiction: 40 years of highs and lows, Nat Rev Neurosci. 2015 May;16(5):305-12, doi: 10.1038/nrn3939, Epub 2015 Apr 15. PMID: 25873042.}