Yes and no. Like tobacco, the sugar industry is vast and has very deep pockets. Any battle likely will last decades. While excessive sugar intake increases risk of diabetes, liver and kidney damage, heart disease, some cancers and death, sugar can be consumed safely in low amounts – something we can’t say for tobacco.

Today, it is right to say that sugar is the next tobacco. Just as tobacco is addictive and causes many body diseases, refined sugar tends to have the same qualities. It is right to say that refined sugar is an addictive substance with low-level, cumulative effects which ultimately cause significant damage to our bodies.

The answer is yes. According to a study by the University of Florida, sugary foods can be as addictive as nicotine and cocaine. During their study they found that people with obesity were drawn to images of junk food, in the same way, cocaine addicts were drawn to images of white powder.