What Happens To Your Brain When You Give Up Sugar
Title: What Happens To Your Brain When You Give Up Sugar
Link: http://www.cnn.com/2017/03/02/health/sugar-brain-diet-partner/index.html
Summary:
Food is a "natural reward". We as a species would not survive if eating was not pleasurable to the brain. Most people would rather have sweeter foods rather than sour or bitter foods because sweeter foods are more rewarding. The average person is consuming approximately 22 teaspoons of added sugar per day. It's hard to find foods that do not have added sugar in it for flavor or preservation. There is evidence that suggests that sugar can be addictive in the same way as nicotine, cocaine, and heroine. An experiment was done where they gave rats access to sugary foods and regular food for 12 hours and then took the food away for 12 hours which went one every day for a month. The rats chose to binge eat the sugary food rather than the regular food. They also showed signs similar to someone whom abuses drugs. Anxiety and depression signs were showed when the rats were deprived of the food. Consuming sugar repeatedly for a period of time causes prolonged dopamine signalling and an increased excitation of the mesolimbic pathway. Therefore, more sugar is needed to activate the dopamine receptors. Another study was done where rats were under a "sugar dependence protocol" and then went through sugar withdrawal. The withdrawal methods in this study both caused physical problems like teeth chattering and head shaking.
Refection:
I knew that people could become addicted to sugar, however, I had no idea that sugar could be as addicting as nicotine, cocaine, or heroine. I was shocked while reading through the example studies in the article when they mentioned how similar the symptoms were to being addicted to drugs. When going through withdrawal, I learned that these symptoms are just as bad too. The amount of sugar consumed daily it shockingly high. After reading this article, I've realized that I should develop better eating habits since there are a few studies that suggest sugar can be as addictive as drugs.
Link: http://www.cnn.com/2017/03/02/health/sugar-brain-diet-partner/index.html
Summary:
Food is a "natural reward". We as a species would not survive if eating was not pleasurable to the brain. Most people would rather have sweeter foods rather than sour or bitter foods because sweeter foods are more rewarding. The average person is consuming approximately 22 teaspoons of added sugar per day. It's hard to find foods that do not have added sugar in it for flavor or preservation. There is evidence that suggests that sugar can be addictive in the same way as nicotine, cocaine, and heroine. An experiment was done where they gave rats access to sugary foods and regular food for 12 hours and then took the food away for 12 hours which went one every day for a month. The rats chose to binge eat the sugary food rather than the regular food. They also showed signs similar to someone whom abuses drugs. Anxiety and depression signs were showed when the rats were deprived of the food. Consuming sugar repeatedly for a period of time causes prolonged dopamine signalling and an increased excitation of the mesolimbic pathway. Therefore, more sugar is needed to activate the dopamine receptors. Another study was done where rats were under a "sugar dependence protocol" and then went through sugar withdrawal. The withdrawal methods in this study both caused physical problems like teeth chattering and head shaking.
Refection:
I knew that people could become addicted to sugar, however, I had no idea that sugar could be as addicting as nicotine, cocaine, or heroine. I was shocked while reading through the example studies in the article when they mentioned how similar the symptoms were to being addicted to drugs. When going through withdrawal, I learned that these symptoms are just as bad too. The amount of sugar consumed daily it shockingly high. After reading this article, I've realized that I should develop better eating habits since there are a few studies that suggest sugar can be as addictive as drugs.
I found this article to be very interesting especially because I have tried many (failed) attempts at cutting processed sugar from my diet. Although I was aware that sugar can be addictive in nature similar to illicit drugs I was not aware of the tolerance component. The part of the article that indicated consuming sugar over time leads to the signal for dopamine to be prolonged initiating a greater excitation of the brain's reward pathways leading to needing more sugar to have the same effect. This indicates that the brain needs more to get the same "sugar high" or fulfill the craving. I wonder if even low levels of sugar have this effect because I feel like alot of people try to cut sugar out completely but are not successful because as you mentioned it's in so many foods! I also have heard that when some people that are in recovery for addictions such as heroine or alcohol turn to food/sugar to get a similar positive feeling which ask an interesting question about the treatment process for addictions. Is it more important to treat someone for a specific addiction or try to eliminate the need for a "rush" or a "high"?
ReplyDeleteI too have tried to cut processed sugars out of my diet and have failed many times. I actually felt some of the withdrawal symptoms such an anxiety, depressed like symptoms, and even headaches. The fact that you can build a tolerance to sugar is a little bit scary to think of, especially considering the amount of sugar the average American consumes. I think this article can be very relative for alot of people in modern society as so many food contains processed sugars. I wonder though if natural sugars, such as those found in fruits, have the same effect on the brain and addiction.
ReplyDeleteOverall I found this article to be interesting but nothing novel. Sugar as with a lot of other foods we consume can be addicting, this especially happens with sugar because sugar is necessary for us to function properly however to much or too little of it can cause a whole host of problems. What I did find interesting was the extent of the physical symptoms experiences I was expecting maybe some irritability, headaches and maybe lethargic behavior however I would not expect sugar withdrawal to produce more serious symptoms of withdrawal such as shakes. Overall this research is important because it seeks to educate and push people to be more conscience of what they consume and possibly what their children consume so that they do not develop a sugar dependence.
ReplyDeleteGreat article! I myself am one of those people who tries to consume as less sugar as possible. I almost never drink soda, and I use a no calorie sweetener when I drink coffee. I can totally understand how sugar can be addictive and what having an unhealthy amount can do to the body.
ReplyDeleteThe relationship between sugar and dopamine outlined in this article is very interesting. It would be very interesting if researchers noted the difference in dopamine release between a subject being deprived of processed sugar and one who is receiving as mach as it wants. The addictive nature of sugar is one that most people have experienced; however, i have never personally seen the withdrawal symptoms that may be experienced from deprivation. I am curious to see if someone no longer consuming processed sugars, but still eating their necessary amount through fruits and other natural sources would experience the same withdrawal symptoms as someone who completely cut out sugar. It would have been helpful if this article spoke further to the evolutionary bias of all animals to prefer sugars as opposed to non-sugary foods. It is likely that our strong desire to eat sugary foods is a bias we have to ensure we consume enough energy producing foods.
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