When people think of addictions, they automatically think of drugs, cigarettes, and alcohol. However, health experts say there is one addiction that is equally destructive to the body - sugar.

Sugar, including artificial sweeteners, can trigger heart diseases. Doctors even believe that sugar is linked to cancer and Alzheimer's, not to mention diabetes. Now that 2018 is fast approaching, health specialists are suggesting that people try to reduce their sugar intake in order to provide better care for their bodies.

Dr. Vincent Pedre, Medical Director of Pedre Integrative Health and President of Dr. Pedre Wellness in New York City, told Charisma News that people should start recognizing sugar as the destructive and deadly force that it truly is. "Sugar is the source of all chronic disease," he said. "We know that solid tumors, cancers, feed on sugar."

He added that sugar doesn't only come from sweets and desserts that contain high fructose corn syrup and agave syrup. It can be found in fruit juices, fruit juice concentrate, evaporated cane juice, caramel and honey as well.

At the same time, refined carbohydrates are sugars too. "People think, 'Well, I don't eat dessert, so I don't have a lot of sugar,'" he said. "But then they're eating bread, rice, pasta. We break down the carbohydrates, and they become sugar."

Pedre revealed that people today consume 100 times more sugar than their ancestors did back in the 1800s, so today's generation are more susceptible to nagging health issues. "Bloating, abdominal pain," he said. "But also sinus congestion, mental fog, memory issues, fatigue, achiness, joint pains — these are all symptoms of consuming sugar in all of its forms. But people don't connect the two."

The sooner people give up sugar in their diets, the better their health will be. Pedre called sugar the "cocaine for your brain," so people might find it difficult to give it up. However, Pedre explained that the craving for sugar lasts no longer than 10 to 20 minutes. If people resist, the craving will eventually pass.

Nutritionist Amanda Ashy-Boyd told The Guardian that people should be conscientious enough to have a well-balanced diet so their blood sugar will not drop. "If you are a big sugar eater, you have to be conscientious about it. Maybe allow yourself a couple of days to go without it. And then once it's out of your bloodstream, it's so much easier to combat that desire," she said.