[pvaldes]

Processed sugar is glucose. Glucose is all except "quite unnatural" in our metabolism. Physiology in animals is based on energy provided by any stuff that can be converted into sugar. Our brains will die in a few minutes without glucose. This reminds me the lemon juice panic when used as additive.

We can talk about if this sugar has pesticides or other substances mixed with it in the post process that are toxic, but this trend of people saying that glucose is addictive is ludicrous. Unlike real drugs, we really need it to live. Would you trust somebody saying that oxygen is a drug and people should stop consuming it?

[inglor_cz]

Processed sugar is sucrose, also half-glucose, half-fructose.

Even though both are found separately in nature, it doesn't necessarily follow that their combination is just fine, especially in the volumes consumed in a typical Western diet.

If sugar isn't addictive at all, why do so many people have cravings for sweets? Cravings are a major hallmark of addiction.

[YetAnotherNick]

What do you think processed sugar is? It's literally just natural sugar purified. Almost everything in nature which contain sugar contains both fructose and glucose combined.

[inglor_cz]

The list of problematic substances that are "just" purified natural matter is quite long. We aren't built to consume purified products endlessly.

[YetAnotherNick]

Did I claim sugar is not problematic?

[pvaldes]

> We aren't built to consume purified products endlessly

At cell level this is just what we do.

[otisv]

I think the parent is pointing out that supernatural amounts of refined sugar in food products is unnatural and that it is added in such high amounts because it is addictive (even going as far as to add other substances to reduce the symptoms of such supernatural sugar doses, p.s. I'm unsure if this is true or not just regurgitating his argument) and thus companies are adding as much refined sugar as possible to increase the sales of said products.

While you seem to be arguing against a strawman that the existence of glucose in our metabolic systems is unnatural, thus sugar is addictive? I think your counter points are a tad tangential compared to the actual points made by the parent comment.

[sabbaticaldev]

our brain won’t die a few minutes without sugar, not even days. You should learn about ketones (which i’m sure you already know, why some ppl are addicted to spread misinformation?)

[everforward]

You would be incorrect https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neuroglycopenia if your blood glucose levels dropped to 0, you would die pretty rapidly. It’s analogous to unmanaged Type 1 diabetes in a vague sense.

There is no physiological requirement for dietary carbohydrates. There is a requirement for glucose, but your body can create it from non-carbohydrate sources including the acetone produced by ketones. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gluconeogenesis