Search Weight Loss Topics:

Home » Diets that Work » This is what consuming sugar does to your brain – Fast Company

We love sweet treats. But too much sugar in our diets can lead to weight gain and obesity, type 2 diabetes, and dental decay. We know we shouldnt be eating candy, ice cream, cookies, and cakes and drinking sugary sodas, but sometimes they are so hard to resist.

Its as if our brain is hardwired to want these foods.

As a neuroscientist, my research centers on how modern day obesogenic, or obesity-promoting, diets change the brain. I want to understand how what we eat alters our behavior and whether brain changes can be mitigated by other lifestyle factors.

Your body runs on sugarglucose to be precise. Glucose comes from the Greek word glukos, which means sweet. Glucose fuels the cells that make up our bodyincluding brain cells (neurons).

On an evolutionary basis, our primitive ancestors were scavengers. Sugary foods are excellent sources of energy, so we have evolved to find sweet foods particularly pleasurable. Foods with unpleasant, bitter, and sour tastes can be unripe, poisonous, or rottingcausing sickness.

So to maximize our survival as a species, we have an innate brain system that makes us like sweet foods since theyre a great source of energy to fuel our bodies.

When we eat sweet foods the brains reward systemcalled the mesolimbic dopamine systemgets activated. Dopamine is a brain chemical released by neurons and can signal that an event was positive. When the reward system fires, it reinforces behaviorsmaking it more likely for us to carry out these actions again.

Dopamine hits from eating sugar promote rapid learning to preferentially find more of these foods.

Our environment today is abundant with sweet, energy-rich foods. We no longer have to forage for these special sugary foodsthey are available everywhere. Unfortunately, our brain is still functionally very similar to our ancestors, and it really likes sugar. So what happens in the brain when we excessively consume sugar?

The brain continuously remodels and rewires itself through a process called neuroplasticity. This rewiring can happen in the reward system. Repeated activation of the reward pathway by drugs or by eating lots of sugary foods causes the brain to adapt to frequent stimulation, leading to a sort of tolerance.

In the case of sweet foods, this means we need to eat more to get the same rewarding feelinga classic feature of addiction.

Food addiction is a controversial subject among scientists and clinicians. While it is true that you can become physically dependent on certain drugs, it is debated whether you can be addicted to food when you need it for basic survival.

Regardless of our need for food to power our bodies, many people experience food cravings, particularly when stressed, hungry, or just faced with an alluring display of cakes in a coffee shop.

To resist cravings, we need to inhibit our natural response to indulge in these tasty foods. A network of inhibitory neurons is critical for controlling behavior. These neurons are concentrated in the prefrontal cortexa key area of the brain involved in decision-making, impulse control, and delaying gratification.

Inhibitory neurons are like the brains brakes and release the chemical GABA. Research in rats has shown that eating high-sugar diets can alter the inhibitory neurons. The sugar-fed rats were also less able to control their behavior and make decisions.

Importantly, this shows that what we eat can influence our ability to resist temptations and may underlie why diet changes are so difficult for people.

A recent study asked people to rate how much they wanted to eat high-calorie snack foods when they were feeling hungry versus when they had recently eaten. The people who regularly ate a high-fat, high-sugar diet rated their cravings for snack foods higher even when they werent hungry.

This suggests that regularly eating high-sugar foods could amplify cravingscreating a vicious circle of wanting more and more of these foods.

Another brain area affected by high sugar diets is the hippocampusa key memory center.

Research shows that rats eating high-sugar diets were less able to remember whether they had previously seen objects in specific locations before.

The sugar-induced changes in the hippocampus were both a reduction of newborn neurons, which are vital for encoding memories, and an increase in chemicals linked to inflammation.

The World Health Organization advises that we limit our intake of added sugars to 5% of our daily calorie intake, which is 25g (six teaspoons).

Considering the average Canadian adult consumes 85g (20 teaspoons) of sugar per day, this is a big diet change for many.

Importantly, the brains neuroplasticity capabilities allow it to reset to an extent following cutting down on dietary sugar, and physical exercise can augment this process. Foods rich in omega-3 fats (found in fish oil, nuts, and seeds) are also neuroprotective and can boost brain chemicals needed to form new neurons.

While its not easy to break habits like always eating dessert or making your coffee a double-double, your brain will thank you for making positive steps.

Read more:
This is what consuming sugar does to your brain - Fast Company

Your Full Name
Your Email
Your Phone Number
Select your age (30+ only)	30313233343536373839404142434445464748495051525354555657585960616263646566676869707172737475767778798081828384858687888990919293949596979899100101102103104105106107108109110111112113114115116117118119120
Select Your US State	Select Your StateAlabamaAlaskaArizonaArkansasCaliforniaColoradoConnecticutDelawareFloridaGeorgiaHawaiiIdahoIllinoisIndianaIowaKansasKentuckyLouisianaMaineMarylandMassachusettsMichiganMinnesotaMississippiMissouriMontanaNebraskaNevadaNew HampshireNew JerseyNew MexicoNew YorkNorth CarolinaNorth DakotaOhioOklahomaOregonPennsylvaniaRhode IslandSouth CarolinaSouth DakotaTennesseeTexasUtahVermontVirginiaWashingtonWashington,DCWest VirginiaWisconsinWyoming
Program Choice	Select Your ProgramInjectable HGHInjectable TestoteroneInjectable SermorelinInjectable Weight LossInjectable HCG DietInjectable Vitamins
Confirm over 30 years old	Yes
Confirm that you resident in USA	Yes
This is a Serious Inquiry	Yes
Message:

Home » Diets that Work » This is what consuming sugar does to your brain – Fast Company