The brain consumes the most energy of any organ in the human
body, and glucose is its primary fuel source. But what happens when the brain
is subjected to an excess of sugars in the typical American diet? More is not always
better in this case.
Excess sugar in the brain impairs both cognitive and
self-control abilities. A small amount of sugar stimulates a desire for more
for many people. In the reward center of the brain, sugar has drug-like
effects. Scientists believe that sweet foods, like salty and fatty foods, can
cause addiction-like effects in the human brain, leading to loss of
self-control, overeating, and subsequent weight gain.
This stimulus led early humans to calorie-rich foods, which
helped them survive when food was scarce. However, this primitive drive is now
contributing to the obesity and diabetes epidemics. The behavioral and
neurobiochemical characteristics of substance abuse and overeating are
strikingly similar, and the concept of food addiction is gaining traction among
scientists.
Sugar's Reward Initial
response
In humans, high-glycemic foods have been shown to activate
reward-related brain regions and cause more intense feelings of hunger than
low-glycemic foods. Foods that cause an increase in blood glucose levels
produce a stronger addictive drive in the brain.
The glycemic index (GI), a measure of how certain foods
convert to sugar in the body, was used to test this process, and eating a
high-GI meal elicited greater brain activity in regions involved in eating
behavior, reward, and craving, according to research published in the American
Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
Sugar High dependency
Additional brain activity studies have provided evidence to
support the idea that overeating alters our brain's reward system, which then
drives overeating. This same process is thought to be at the root of addiction
tolerance.
Over time, more of the substance is required to achieve the
same level of reward. According to research, overeating leads to a decreased
reward response and a progressively worsening addiction to low-nutrient foods
high in sugar, salt, and fat.
According to a study published in the journal PLoS One, sweet
foods can be more addictive than cocaine.
Despite the fact that the study was conducted on animals,
researchers discovered that intense sweetness can outperform cocaine reward,
even in drug-sensitized and -addicted individuals.
How Does Sugar Affect
Memory?
Excess sugar is harmful throughout the body. Even a single
instance of high blood glucose levels can be harmful to the brain, resulting in
slowed cognitive function and memory and attention deficits.
According to some research, excessive sugar consumption
causes inflammation in the brain, resulting in memory problems. Inflammatory
markers were found in the hippocampus of rats fed a high sugar diet but not in
those fed a standard diet, according to a 2016 study published in Behavioral
Brain Research.
The good news is that the inflammatory damage caused by sugar
may not be permanent.
According to a 2017 study published in the journal Appetite,
the memory damage caused by sugar consumption can be reversed by following a
low-sugar, low-GI diet.
Furthermore, a 2015 study published in the journal Nutrients
discovered that reducing sugar consumption and supplementing with omega-3 fatty
acids and curcumin improves working memory.
Sugar Has Mood Effects
Sugar has an effect on one's mood as well. According to a brain imaging study, elevated blood glucose impairs the ability of healthy young people to process emotion.
Another study published in Diabetes Care discovered that
people with type 2 diabetes felt more sad and anxious during acute hyperglycemia
(elevated blood sugar).
One of the largest studies to link sugar to depression—an
analysis of dietary consumption and mood of 23,245 people enrolled in the
Whitehall II study—discovered that higher levels of sugar consumption were
associated with a higher incidence of depression.
The study, published in the journal Scientific Reports in
2017, discovered that those who consumed the most sugar were 23% more likely to
be diagnosed with a mental disorder than those who consumed the least sugar.
Intake of sugar impairs
mental capacity.
Blood vessels are harmed by elevated blood glucose levels.
Diabetes' vascular complications are primarily caused by blood vessel damage,
which can lead to other issues such as damage to blood vessels in the brain and
eyes, resulting in retinopathy.
Long-term diabetics show progressive brain damage, which
leads to deficits in learning, memory, motor speed, and other cognitive
functions.
Frequent exposure to high glucose levels reduces mental
capacity, as higher HbA1c levels have been linked to a greater degree of brain
shrinkage.
Even in people who do not have diabetes, higher sugar
consumption is associated with lower scores on cognitive function tests. These
side effects are thought to be the result of a combination of hyperglycemia,
hypertension, insulin resistance, and high cholesterol.
According to additional research, a diet high in added sugar
reduces the production of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a brain
chemical required for the formation of new memories and learning.
According to a study published in the journal Diabetologia,
lower levels of BDNF are also linked to dementia and Alzheimer's disease.
Conclusion
According to the research, any sugar added to our food is
harmful. We can avoid these risks by satisfying our sweet tooth with fresh
fruit rather than refined sugars.
Eating fresh fruit provides the satisfying sweetness of sugary treats with the added benefit of fiber, antioxidants, and phytochemicals, which slow the rise of sugar in the bloodstream and block its negative effects.
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