Is Sugar a Drug? - Be Smart.

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Viewers like you help make PBS (Thank you 😃) . Support your local PBS Member Station here: https://to.pbs.org/PBSDSDonate Here’s a sweet idea: Subscribe! http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub Tweet this video ⇒ http://bit.ly/OKTBSsug Share on FB ⇒ http://bit.ly/OKTBSsugFB ↓ More info and sources below ↓ Want to wear your love for science? We’ve got merch: http://dftba.com/besmart American sugar consumption: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db122.pdf http://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/sugar-and-sweeteners-yearbook-tables.aspx#25512 http://www.usda.gov/factbook/chapter2.pdf Avena, Nicole M., Pedro Rada, and Bartley G. Hoebel. "Evidence for sugar addiction: behavioral and neurochemical effects of intermittent, excessive sugar intake." Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews 32.1 (2008): 20-39. Breslin, Paul AS. "An evolutionary perspective on food and human taste."Current Biology 23.9 (2013): R409-R418. Goodman, Jarid, and Mark G. Packard. "Memory systems and the addicted brain." Frontiers in psychiatry 7 (2016). Kearns, Cristin E., Laura A. Schmidt, and Stanton A. Glantz. "Sugar industry and coronary heart disease research: a historical analysis of internal industry documents." JAMA Internal Medicine (2016) Lerma-Cabrera, Jose Manuel, Francisca Carvajal, and Patricia Lopez-Legarrea. "Food addiction as a new piece of the obesity framework." Nutrition journal 15.1 (2016): 1. Mintz, Sidney. "Sweetness and power: the place of sugar in world history."Viking, New York (1985) Volkow, Nora D., Gene-Jack Wang, and Ruben D. Baler. "Reward, dopamine and the control of food intake: implications for obesity." Trends in cognitive sciences 15.1 (2011): 37-46. ---------------- It’s Okay To Be Smart is written and hosted by Joe Hanson, Ph.D. Have an idea for an episode or an amazing science question you want answered? Leave a comment or check us out at the links below! Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/itsokaytobesmart Twitter: http://twitter.com/okaytobesmart http://twitter.com/jtotheizzoe Tumblr: http://www.itsokaytobesmart.com Instagram: http://instagram.com/jtotheizzoe Snapchat: YoDrJoe Produced by PBS Digital Studios Music via APM Stock images from SciencePhoto http://www.sciencephoto.com/ and Shutterstock http://www.shutterstock.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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This episode is 6 minutes long.

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This episode was published on July 1, 2026.

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Viewers like you help make PBS (Thank you 😃) . Support your local PBS Member Station here: https://to.pbs.org/PBSDSDonate Here’s a sweet idea: Subscribe! http://bit.ly/iotbs_sub Tweet this video ⇒ http://bit.ly/OKTBSsug Share on FB ⇒...

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