What Does Science Say About The Constant Desire to Consume Sugar?

Sweet We all love to eat. However, excessive sugar consumption; It can lead to weight gain, obesity, type 2 diabetes and tooth decay. Too much sugar We know we shouldn’t consume. But sometimes to sugary foods Resisting can be more difficult than you think. It’s as if our brains are programmed to crave such foods.

The name of glucose, the sugar we use in our body, comes from the Greek word glucos. Glucose, our brain cells neurons in It is used as food in all cells, including

Sugar consumption stimulates dopamine secretion

Evolutionarily, excellent energy sources We evolved to find sugary foods that are Sugary foods also play an important role in our brain’s energy needs.

When we consume sugary foods reward system The mesolimbic dopamine system is activated. Dopamine is a chemical that is naturally released in the body. Dopamine is released when the brain evaluates an event positively. When the reward system works, behaviors are reinforced in the brain. In this way, we become more likely to repeat these actions.

Today, our environment is full of sweet, energy-rich foods. Fear that we won’t be able to find these foods anymore to consume all There’s no need. But our brains are still functionally very similar to our ancestors and really love sugar. So what happens to our brains if we consume too much sugar?

Does sugar help rebuild the brain?

The brain undergoes a process called neuroplasticity. self reshape it. This happens in conjunction with the reward system. of the reward path Its repeated activation by drugs or high-sugar foods causes the brain to adapt to frequent stimulation. In this case it provides some kind of tolerance.

When it comes to sugary foods, the same rewarding feeling To get it, you need to consume more sugary foods. This is a classic addictive feature. Food addiction is a controversial issue among scientists and clinicians. It is debatable whether we can become addicted to food just as we can be physically dependent on certain drugs.

The brain constantly craves more sugar.

Even if we are not hungry when we see cake We may have a craving for cake. In order to oppose these requests, we must first curb our natural reaction. A network of inhibitory neurons, controlling behavior is of critical importance to These neurons are concentrated in the prefrontal cortex, an area of ​​the brain important for decision making, impulse control, and delaying gratification.

Inhibitory neurons are like the brakes of the brain. made with mice a researchshowed that high-sugar eating habits can change inhibitory neurons. The sugar-fed rats were less successful in controlling their behavior and making decisions.

In a recent study, people were asked to rate their desire to eat high-calorie foods when hungry or full. Regular high-fat and sugary foods consuming people rated their cravings for snacks with higher scores, even when they weren’t hungry.

This study regularly high sugar foods It shows that consuming food can increase cravings for food, creating a vicious cycle of wanting more and more of those foods.

Excess sugar can impair memory formation.

Another brain area affected by high sugar consumption is the hippocampus. hippocampus, brain memory is the center. Studies show that rats consuming high-sugar foods have seen them in certain places before. objects It shows that they can remember less what they see or not.

Hippocampus in high sugar consumption encode memories Newborn neurons, which are vital for the immune system, are reduced and the amount of chemicals linked to inflammation increases.

How do we protect the brain against sugar?

World Health Organization, our intake of added sugar 25 grams as recommend. This amount is about 5 percent of the daily calorie intake. However, if we consider that an adult consumes 85 grams of sugar on average, we understand how high sugar consumption is.

After reducing sugar consumption, brain neuroplasticity properties decrease to some extent. However with exercises These features can be increased. Also, foods rich in omega-3s can increase the chemicals needed to form new neurons.