Lamar Odem is Addicted to Candy

I am sure that many of you are familiar with the name Lamar Odom, from his skills on the basketball court to his (past) relationship with Khloe Kardashian, but did you know that Odom has a dark side consisting of an unshakable addiction of the most peculiar nature? That's right, according to an ESPN special featuring the star Lakers forward, Lamar Odom is a "self-described candy and sweets junkie"(1). Whether at home or on the road, Odom's assistant, Anothony "Mac" McNair is responsible for ensuring that his boss has a constant supply of Starbursts, Gummi worms, fudge cookies, peach rings, watermelon chews, and any other sweet snack loaded to the brim with sugar. "Odom even admits to sometimes handing a stash of sweets to a ball boy so he can indulge during games. (1)" Odom's teammates and coaches seem to stick to the philosophy of "whatever works". As long as he continues to play well in games, it doesn't look like any of his close friends will be holding any candy interventions in an attempt to wean the star Athlete off of his unhealthy addiction.

I thought that this story was relevant in relation to our recent discussions about the cultural aspects of sugar. Odom reports that his love of candy stems from his grandmother, who "was always baking cookies and cakes" and his mother, who apparently was "always eating Twizzlers"(1). While Odom must have a very fast metabolism, and is addicted to a substance that admittedly less dangerous than some other substances that are often associated with addiction and abuse, it also must be true that the seemingly constant flow of such high levels of sugar cannot be good for Odom's health. So why does he continue to consume sugar in such large quantities? "It soothes me," admits Odom. Candy and the high levels of sugar it contains does make people feel good in a certain way, otherwise sugar wouldn't be such a commonplace ingredient in such a vast amount of our food. It has been marketed in the past as an energizer, giving an immediate sugar high by causing blood sugar levels to spike and then crash, leaving you feeling tired and groggy. It is likely then, that Odom's frequent intake of sugar has meant that he has not allowed himself to fully come down from his sugar high, meaning that his blood sugar levels have been peaking for almost his entire life. While Odom's medical records are legally private and no one knows for sure what kinds of health risks if any have ensued from his heavy sugar intake, I wouldn't be surprised to hear a story in the near future about Odom's health complications related to over-consumption of sugar.
Until then, I pray that his sugar addiction causes him to play poorly during games. Go Celtics!