I had a long discussion with a friend about the influence of sugar on society. Once you start thinking about it, you realize how prevalent sugar is, and how many industries depend on it. You also start to wonder why sugar is so widely accepted in society, even though it is probably addictive.
Here's a trivial example to start. I was at the grocery store earlier, and saw all the Valentine's Day candy on clearance. But don't worry, the Easter candy is already out! Ever wonder why most major holidays are somehow connected to sugar? Like Valentine's Day, Easter, Halloween, and Christmas. And don't forget that everyone's birthday is celebrated with birthday cake (for some unknown reason).
Why does society urge people to control drug and alcohol consumption, yet actually encourages the use of sugar? It would seem sacrilegious to deny a child Halloween candy, yet you are a "good parent" if you preach against taboo drugs like alcohol and tobacco. It's strange that some drugs are socially accepted while others aren't.
I remember when I moved cross-country a while back, that I knowingly used sugar to keep me alert for the long days of driving. The next week I literally had to ween myself off sugar back to a healthy diet. I don't know if I would classify it as withdrawal symptoms, but my body was clearly not happy in the absence of sugar.
With two-thirds of the country overweight or obese, you would have to assume that something pretty powerful is causing this happen. You are talking about millions of people who can't manage their weight, even though they might be managing other aspects of their lives very well. If there wasn't something very powerful blocking people from losing weight, then I'm sure people would choose to lose fat and return to a healthy weight.
Maybe it's time for society to start taking sugar more seriously.