Phoenix Suns forward Michael Beasley consumes roughly “six or seven” packs of Skittles a day, he revealed in an interview with the Arizona Republic. The pro-basketball player, whose backpack is usually stocked with the rainbow-colored candy, says he’s trying to cut back. “I don’t bring them to the arena anymore,” he said, “I just eat them at home and keep them to myself.” Beasley is not the first professional athlete to go public with a sugar habit. In 2010, Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose received a home Skittles vending machine to feed his well known candy obsession. And in 2011, the company shipped Seattle Seahawks’ running back Marshawn Lynch two years’ worth of candy and a custom dispenser for his locker, because of his habit of eating a bag on the sideline during games. Although the term “sugar addict” is often used lightly, experts are increasingly saying that sugar addiction is real, and sugar may be as addictive as hard drugs like cocaine or amphetamines. Excess consumption may increase risk of depression, as well as causing weight gain, tooth decay, cancer and heart disease. According to healthline, adult men should be consuming only about 37 grams of sugar a day. Beasley’s “crazy candy addiction” weighs in at about 1,380 calories and 258 grams of sugar a day.
