Sugar rush: Are you addicted to the white stuff? 

It's all too easy to reach for a sweet treat for an instant energy boost. But it can be a difficult habit to drop 

Sugar crystals cascading over a metal spoon against a black background.

Could you be addicted to a white substance that gives us a temporary yet thrilling rush of energy, but that can also cause significant health problems in the long term?

 This isn’t a class A drug we’re discussing. It’s not even prohibited by law. It’s sugar, something that Irish people are the fourth highest consumers of in the world. According to research carried out by Euromonitor in 2016, we devour 24 teaspoons of it every day, despite the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommending we restrict ourselves to a ten teaspoon maximum.