In the past, sugar was a treat to be consumed in small amounts, but now it’s part of the standard American diet. The average person eats 17 teaspoons of sugar a day. This is more than twice what the American Heart Association recommends for men and almost three times what women should eat.
World Health Organization says men and women should keep sugar intake to 10% or less of total calories. The authors also point out that cutting sugar to less than 5% of total calories, has even more health benefits.
Sugar is a common ingredient in processed foods of all types, even ones that don’t taste sweet. Because people have gotten so used to sugary food, packaged food must contain a lot of sugar to trigger sweet receptors and create that rewarding sensation we get from eating sweets.
The Love of Sugar Starts Early
Why are humans so obsessed with things that are sugary and sweet? The infatuation with sugar begins early in life when parents reward kids with a sweet treat when they do something good, and the child learns to associate sweet things with something positive. The taste for sugar sticks with children who eat a lot throughout life.
All that sugar does nothing positive for health and well-being. In fact, consuming too much sugar is linked with many health issues, including cardiovascular disease, obesity, type 2 diabetes, acne, and tooth decay. Plus, there’s some evidence that sugar is addictive in a similar way as alcohol. So, it can be a tough habit to break.
The Effects of Sugar on the Brian
Beyond sugar’s impact on health as a whole, sweet stuff also has adverse effects on the brain; there’s even evidence in animal studies that sugar changes the structure of the brain. In one study, published in the Nature Communications, researchers fed genetically engineered mice one of two feeding formulas. One group got a standard food mixture without added sugar. The other group snacked on a food mixture that contains sugar and a compound that blocked dopamine.
In the study, mice who ate the formula with added sugar showed changes in the way they responded to pain in a region of the brain called the nucleus accumbens that controls emotions. To make a long story short, researchers believe sugar changes the way the nerve cells in the nucleus accumbens send messages between regions in the brain involved in emotions. This may also explain why animals and humans derive pleasure from eating something sweet.
Dopamine is a brain chemical that affects various aspects of brain function and mood. It’s sometimes referred to as a “reward” brain chemical. People with low levels of dopamine may have problems with memory, feel depressed, and have a low sex drive. In more severe cases, people with low dopamine have symptoms consistent with Parkinson’s syndrome with tremors, problems with balance and coordination, and restless legs.
Researchers believe sugar triggers dopamine receptors in a way that’s rewarding, much like gambling and taking mood-elevating drugs do. Research even suggests that sugar may be addictive in the same way some drugs are, thanks to its effect on dopamine.
Sugar and Addiction
Eating something sweet also triggers the brain to release dopamine. Dopamine makes you feel good. That just reinforces the benefits of eating sweet stuff or drinking syrupy drinks. From the moment you bite into a chocolate chip cookie, you’re enjoying its sweetness, but it’s also having an effect on your brain and making you want more. But could sugar cause even more serious brain changes or even contribute to cognitive decline?
Diets High in Sugar and Dementia
Diets high in sugar also decrease the production of brain-derived neurotrophic factors or BDNF. Brain-derived neurotrophic factors help build connections between nerve cells for greater brain connectivity. Without this protein, growth, development, and communication between these nerve cells is reduced. Science shows a link between BDNF and a higher risk of degenerative disorders such as Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s, and dementia.
Another way a diet high in sugar contributes to dementia is by increasing insulin resistance. When cells are less responsive to the hormone insulin, a hormone that ferries glucose into cells, it causes a rise in blood insulin levels and, eventually, a rise in blood glucose. People with insulin resistance are at higher risk of type 2 diabetes too.
Research on the relationship between sugar consumption and dementia is still in its infancy. However, given that type-2 diabetes mellitus is a risk factor for dementia, it is important to consider the link between sugar consumption and dementia. Hopefully, more research will clarify this issue.
The Bottom Line
Sugar isn’t any better for your brain than it is for the other organs of your body. It’s found in almost all food and drinks and is a part of our daily lives. “Hidden sugar” refers to sugar added to a food or beverage during the manufacturing process.
Along with being present in the majority of processed foods, sugar is also found in the form of naturally occurring sugars, such as those found in fruit and dairy products. Read labels and try to avoid foods with added sugar, but also be mindful about the total quantity of sugar you’re consuming. It matters for brain health and your health overall.
The truth is that we don’t really know with certainty the long-term effects of sugar on the human body; however, there is enough evidence to suggest that limiting your daily sugar intake is a smart idea.
References:
- com. “A Neuroscientist Explains What Sugar Really Does to Our Brains”
- com. “Sugar May Harm Brain Health”
- com. “Recommended sugar intake: How much should you have per day?”
- com. “How Higher Blood Sugar Levels Can Harm Brain Health”
- “WHO guideline : sugar consumption recommendation.” 04 Mar. 2015, https://www.who.int/news/item/04-03-2015-who-calls-on-countries-to-reduce-sugars-intake-among-adults-and-children.
- “The Importance of the World Health Organization Sugar ….” pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30086553/.
- “Sugar and the Brain | Harvard Medical School.” /hms.harvard.edu/news-events/publications-archive/brain/sugar-brain.
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