For women who feel worse around their menstrual cycle, or whose problems increased when they entered perimenopause in their 40s, estrogen and progesterone deficiency may be driving sugar cravings.

In a woman’s earlier years, these cravings are more likely to manifest as premenstrual syndrome (PMS), with associated progesterone deficiency and severe irritability around the time of their periods.

In the mid-40s, as estrogen levels drop, estrogen or progesterone deficiency often produces increased sugar cravings, fatigue, moodiness, and insomnia around the time of periods. This comes along with decreased vaginal lubrication.

For men, testosterone deficiency associated with andropause can also cause sugar craving and other severe problems, including depression, decreased libido, decreased erectile function, high blood pressure, weight gain, diabetes, and high cholesterol. All of these symtpoms suggest testosterone deficiency.

Supplementing with bioidentical natural testosterone (by prescription) has been shown to help of these problems.

Standard blood testing for hormonal deficiencies will not reveal the problems until they are severe, sometimes leaving people deficient for decades.

Eliminating the sugar addiction and other problems caused by low estrogen, progesterone, or testosterone is essential.

I discuss this type of sugar addiction in chapter 4 of my new book “Beat Sugar Addiction Now!”

Natural therapies, such as edamame (soybean pods) or black cohosh (Remifemin), can be very helpful for treating estrogen deficiency symptoms naturally. But when they are more severe, prescription natural bioidentical hormones can be helpful.

There is a fair bit of controversy around bioidentical hormones, and I suspect that this occurs simply because drug companies stand to lose a lot of money if people realize that the non-bioidentical hormones they sell are dangerous.

As a physician who makes not a penny more if you use either form, I believe the medical research shows the bioidentical hormones to be much safer.

PMS symptoms can be decreased by taking vitamin B6 in a dose of 200 mg a day; magnesium, 200 mg a day; and Evening Primrose oil (or borage seed oil), 3,000 mg a day — all for three months. Then the dose can often be lowered.

Bioidentical progesterone can also help in severe cases that persist after three months of the nutritional treatments above.

Sugar addiction is more the rule than the exception in modern life. The good news? By taking finding out what type of sugar addiction you have, and then applying simple treatments, you will find yourself feeling dramatically better.

In addition, your sugar cravings will go away, your metabolism will improve (so you can lose excess weight), and you’ll live a longer, happier life.