Effects Of Sugar On The Brain: What Are They?
Sugar can cause various health problems, including in the brain. The most worrying aspect is that it is the substance most often found in commonly used foods. But what are the effects of sugar on the brain when overdoing it?
It becomes essential to reduce the amount of sugar in our diet both to feel better and to prevent the onset of diseases. In this article, you are about to find out how sugar harms the brain.
Effects of sugar on the brain
What is sugar?
When we hear the word “sugar”, we immediately think of the white one we keep in the kitchen. We are referring to sucrose, the most readily available formulation.
But there are many other types of sugar, identifiable according to their chemical composition. Fructose, galactose, glucose, maltose or lactose are naturally contained in foods, or rather they can be added in the form of sweeteners or preservatives.
The food industry can add them to foods under different names, so it is important to read the nutritional information label carefully and to know the synonyms for sugar.
80% of the processed foods available at the supermarket contain hidden sugars, which we consume unaware of this. The WHO recommends reducing the consumption of simple sugars (those added to foods, not those naturally present in them) in order to keep levels below 10% of the daily caloric requirement.
According to a research study published in the journal Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice , we should try to consume less than 5% simple sugars to gain additional health benefits. This eating habit will allow us to prevent diseases with diabetes or keep it under control.
Effects of sugar on the brain
According to a study published in the journal Physiology & Behavio r, the brain would consume 5.6 milligrams of glucose per 100 grams of brain tissue per minute. In the brain of an adult , most of the energy comes from neurons.
Although the brain accounts for less than 2% of body weight, it consumes up to 20% of the energy from the total glucose produced by the body: that is, it is the main consumer.
When we ingest foods that contain sugar, as soon as we put them in the mouth and the taste buds come into contact with the tongue, they send signals that activate the sweet receptors in the brain stem. From there, these signals reach different regions of our brain, where the signal activates the brain’s reward system.
Similarly, sugar receptors are also found in the digestive system, which send signals to the brain, indicating whether or not you actually feel full. The effects of sugar on the brain explain why we may find it difficult to moderate our consumption.
It is addictive
Sugar is addictive… How? The main resource of the brain’s reward system is dopamine. In this regard, it has been shown that following the consumption of foods rich in sugar, the dopaminergic response on the part of the brain does not stabilize.
As a result, the more sugar we eat, the more reward signals our brain will send, just like some drugs, such as cocaine or heroin.
Precisely for this reason, every time we eat a sugary food a gratifying sensation is activated in our brain, which creates a sort of addiction. A study published in 2018 in the British Journal of Sports Medicine states that sugar consumption is addictive.
The risk of suffering from certain diseases increases
Excessive sugar consumption is known to result in cardiovascular disease, diabetes, fatty liver and cancer. Yet recent discoveries have highlighted the possible negative effects on the brain, with inflammation or emotional reaction, such as:
- Childhood hyperactivity.
- Fatigue.
- Insomnia.
- Anxiety.
- Dementia.
- Depression.
A study published in Scientific Reports involving 264,000 adults over the age of 50, with a follow-up of 10 years, showed that people who consumed more than 4 cans of sugary soft drinks every day had a greater predisposition to depression, reaching a peak of almost 30% compared to those who did not consume it.
It causes memory problems and learning difficulties
Another problem that people who consume too much sugar can suffer from, according to scientific data, is some memory loss. This is because in the presence of high levels of glucose in the blood, the brain tries to metabolize it, resulting in damage to the hippocampus.
The hippocampus is the region of the central nervous system where ideas and memory are formed, organized and stored. This is why the more sugar is offered to the brain, the more it becomes overloaded, so over time a neurological degeneration could be found, with deficits in memory and logical skills.
Consumption of sugar negatively affects the brain
As science has shown, there is a very close link between regular sugar consumption and a subsequent predisposition to mental disorders. This is because this substance can have a neurotoxic effect on the brain.
Consequently, the following foods should be eliminated or reduced to a minimum: table sugar, ultra-refined products, breakfast cereals, sauces and sugary drinks.
