In recent decades, there has been incredible progress in our understanding of how our diets impact our health. This is particularly true when it comes to sugar. We all know that too much sugar is bad for you. It can cause obesity, diabetes, and tooth decay. Apart from the damage to our bodies, it also goes straight to our brains! It's now known that excessive sugar intake doesn't just impact our bodies, it impacts our behavior as well.
We've evolved to be drawn to sugar and the cravings are deeply ingrained, but once you understand how and why, you'll also learn that it's possible to change. Click through the following gallery to find out what happens to the brain when we eat sugar, and how to take better care.
Our prehistoric roots
As hunter-gatherers who had to work hard to find proper nutrition, humans evolved to appreciate sweet foods as they were usually good sources of energy. Those who could obtain high-calorie foods had a better chance of survival.
Taste of survival
On the flip side, we are also predisposed to dislike bitter or sour tastes, as they may indicate that a food is poisonous or rotten and could make us sick.
The reward system
When we eat sweet foods, it triggers a chemical reaction in our brain. It engages the brain’s reward system, releasing the chemical dopamine.
Dopamine and reinforcement
When dopamine is released, it’s a signal that we’ve had a positive experience. This reinforces the behavior and guides us to repeat it. Dopamine generally trains us to continue behaviors that are good for our survival.
A new landscape
In this case, it’s clear that it was necessary for our prehistoric ancestors to consume foods high in sugar in order to survive. However, people would not have access to sweet foods in abundance the way we do today.
Drastic dietary changes
Our bodies haven't changed that much compared to our ancestors even though our diets have changed dramatically. We still have a strong reward system in place that reinforces our desire for sugar, but these days it may be doing more harm than good.
The modern diet
The modern diet includes an excessive amount of sugary foods. This is causing a wide array of health problems, but it’s difficult to fight the instinct to consume more and more. It’s important to understand how the brain responds to sugar in order to control it.
Neuroplasticity
The brain is flexible and continuously remodels and rewires itself. This process is called neuroplasticity, and it can occur with the reward system.
Building tolerance
Frequently consuming sugary foods causes the reward system in the brain to be activated repeatedly. Through neuroplasticity, the brain adapts to this frequent stimulation and builds up a sort of tolerance.
Sugar and drugs
When we build up a tolerance, we need to consume more and more in order to experience the same level of pleasure. This happens with dangerous drugs, but it also happens with sugar.
Food addiction
Food addiction is a controversial subject among scientists and doctors. While things like sugar activate the same neural pathways in the brain as cocaine would, it’s difficult to say that someone can be addicted to something that they actually need for survival. This is a key difference between things like sugar and cigarettes.
Food cravings
Regardless of the official standing on addiction, it’s undeniable that people experience serious food cravings that are hard to control. We often eat things we know aren’t good for our health.
Reduced self-control
Research performed on rats showed that those given a high-sugar diet were less able to control their behavior and make decisions. This suggests that our sugar intake not only triggers the reward system in our brain, it also reduces our ability to control our urges and make wise decisions.
Regaining control
In order to regain control over our behavior and overcome these urges to consume sugar, we need to somehow inhibit our body’s natural response.
Prefrontal cortex
The prefrontal cortex is the area of our brain that deals with decision-making, impulse control, and delaying gratification. If we practice and reinforce behaviors like impulse control, it will build more inhibitory neurons in this part of our brain, strengthening our ability to control our sugar urges.
Hippocampus
This isn’t the only way that sugar impacts the way we think. A high-sugar diet also affects the hippocampus, which is the area of the brain that deals with memory.
Memory
Another study performed on rats showed that they were less able to remember if they had seen objects in specific locations before. The sugar reduced the number of new neurons in the hippocampus, which are essential for processing memories.
Inflammation
Some research also suggests that high sugar intake can cause inflammation, resulting in memory difficulties.
Time to repair
Luckily, it doesn’t seem like these problems are permanent. Testing suggests that reducing sugar intake and increasing omega-3 fatty acids in the diet improves memory.
Mood
Our sugar intake also affects our moods. Even in healthy young people, it’s believed that the ability to process emotions is reduced by high levels of glucose in the blood.
Blood sugar levels and mood
People with type 2 diabetes report feeling more anxious and sad during periods of elevated blood sugar levels.
Sugar and depression
One large study of 23,245 people examined the link between sugar and depression. It concluded that higher rates of sugar consumption were linked to more incidences of depression.
What can we do?
The benefits of reducing your sugar intake are clear. The question is how to go about it.
We're wired that way
The key thing to remember is that your brain is set up to crave the amount of sugar you currently eat, and more. However, if you reduce the amount of sugar you’re eating, your brain will adapt thanks to neuroplasticity.
It gets easier
As you reduce the amount of sugar you eat, it will also improve your memory and impulse control. It’s hard at first, but the cravings and self-control will get better!
Tips to reduce sugar intake
One basic tip to cut back on sugar is to start reading labels carefully. Condiments like ketchup and barbecue sauce have huge amounts of sugar in them. For some brands, one tablespoon of ketchup can contain one teaspoon of sugar.
Be wary of certain health foods
Canned foods and sauces in jars also sometimes contain lots of sugar, even if they’re savory. Sweet drinks are another secret enemy. Even 'healthy' and seemingly harmless drinks like juices and smoothies, or grab-and-go coffee, can contain lots of hidden sugar.
Don't shop on an empty stomach!
Avoid shopping when you’re hungry because your cravings will be at a fever pitch and you’re likely to make more unhealthy choices.
Avoid low-fat products
This sounds counter-productive, but avoid low-fat products! If a product is low in fat, it’s often higher in sugar. It’s often better to go for full-fat whole foods.
You can do it!
It's difficult to make these changes, but there's no doubt your brain will thank you, and your mind and body will feel better for it.
What next?
There are many products out there that are marketed as healthy, but really they're just junk food in disguise. So it is better to avoid these products.
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