What happens to the brain when you eat sugar?

Our prehistoric roots, Taste of survival, The reward system, A new landscape, The modern diet, Building tolerance, Food addiction, Reduced self-control, Prefrontal cortex, Time to repair, Blood sugar levels and mood, What can we do?, It gets easier, Be wary of certain health foods, Avoid low-fat products, You can do it!

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

Our prehistoric roots, Taste of survival, The reward system, A new landscape, The modern diet, Building tolerance, Food addiction, Reduced self-control, Prefrontal cortex, Time to repair, Blood sugar levels and mood, What can we do?, It gets easier, Be wary of certain health foods, Avoid low-fat products, You can do it!

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

Our prehistoric roots, Taste of survival, The reward system, A new landscape, The modern diet, Building tolerance, Food addiction, Reduced self-control, Prefrontal cortex, Time to repair, Blood sugar levels and mood, What can we do?, It gets easier, Be wary of certain health foods, Avoid low-fat products, You can do it!

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

Our prehistoric roots, Taste of survival, The reward system, A new landscape, The modern diet, Building tolerance, Food addiction, Reduced self-control, Prefrontal cortex, Time to repair, Blood sugar levels and mood, What can we do?, It gets easier, Be wary of certain health foods, Avoid low-fat products, You can do it!

When we eat sweet foods, it triggers a chemical reaction in our brain. It engages the brain’s reward system, releasing the chemical dopamine.

A new landscape

Our prehistoric roots, Taste of survival, The reward system, A new landscape, The modern diet, Building tolerance, Food addiction, Reduced self-control, Prefrontal cortex, Time to repair, Blood sugar levels and mood, What can we do?, It gets easier, Be wary of certain health foods, Avoid low-fat products, You can do it!

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.

The modern diet

Our prehistoric roots, Taste of survival, The reward system, A new landscape, The modern diet, Building tolerance, Food addiction, Reduced self-control, Prefrontal cortex, Time to repair, Blood sugar levels and mood, What can we do?, It gets easier, Be wary of certain health foods, Avoid low-fat products, You can do it!

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.

Building tolerance

Our prehistoric roots, Taste of survival, The reward system, A new landscape, The modern diet, Building tolerance, Food addiction, Reduced self-control, Prefrontal cortex, Time to repair, Blood sugar levels and mood, What can we do?, It gets easier, Be wary of certain health foods, Avoid low-fat products, You can do it!

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.

Food addiction

Our prehistoric roots, Taste of survival, The reward system, A new landscape, The modern diet, Building tolerance, Food addiction, Reduced self-control, Prefrontal cortex, Time to repair, Blood sugar levels and mood, What can we do?, It gets easier, Be wary of certain health foods, Avoid low-fat products, You can do it!

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.

Reduced self-control

Our prehistoric roots, Taste of survival, The reward system, A new landscape, The modern diet, Building tolerance, Food addiction, Reduced self-control, Prefrontal cortex, Time to repair, Blood sugar levels and mood, What can we do?, It gets easier, Be wary of certain health foods, Avoid low-fat products, You can do it!

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.

Prefrontal cortex

Our prehistoric roots, Taste of survival, The reward system, A new landscape, The modern diet, Building tolerance, Food addiction, Reduced self-control, Prefrontal cortex, Time to repair, Blood sugar levels and mood, What can we do?, It gets easier, Be wary of certain health foods, Avoid low-fat products, You can do it!

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.

Memory

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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.

Time to repair

Our prehistoric roots, Taste of survival, The reward system, A new landscape, The modern diet, Building tolerance, Food addiction, Reduced self-control, Prefrontal cortex, Time to repair, Blood sugar levels and mood, What can we do?, It gets easier, Be wary of certain health foods, Avoid low-fat products, You can do it!

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.

Blood sugar levels and mood

Our prehistoric roots, Taste of survival, The reward system, A new landscape, The modern diet, Building tolerance, Food addiction, Reduced self-control, Prefrontal cortex, Time to repair, Blood sugar levels and mood, What can we do?, It gets easier, Be wary of certain health foods, Avoid low-fat products, You can do it!

People with type 2 diabetes report feeling more anxious and sad during periods of elevated blood sugar levels.

What can we do?

Our prehistoric roots, Taste of survival, The reward system, A new landscape, The modern diet, Building tolerance, Food addiction, Reduced self-control, Prefrontal cortex, Time to repair, Blood sugar levels and mood, What can we do?, It gets easier, Be wary of certain health foods, Avoid low-fat products, You can do it!

The benefits of reducing your sugar intake are clear. The question is how to go about it.

It gets easier

Our prehistoric roots, Taste of survival, The reward system, A new landscape, The modern diet, Building tolerance, Food addiction, Reduced self-control, Prefrontal cortex, Time to repair, Blood sugar levels and mood, What can we do?, It gets easier, Be wary of certain health foods, Avoid low-fat products, You can do it!

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!

Be wary of certain health foods

Our prehistoric roots, Taste of survival, The reward system, A new landscape, The modern diet, Building tolerance, Food addiction, Reduced self-control, Prefrontal cortex, Time to repair, Blood sugar levels and mood, What can we do?, It gets easier, Be wary of certain health foods, Avoid low-fat products, You can do it!

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.

Avoid low-fat products

Our prehistoric roots, Taste of survival, The reward system, A new landscape, The modern diet, Building tolerance, Food addiction, Reduced self-control, Prefrontal cortex, Time to repair, Blood sugar levels and mood, What can we do?, It gets easier, Be wary of certain health foods, Avoid low-fat products, You can do it!

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!

Our prehistoric roots, Taste of survival, The reward system, A new landscape, The modern diet, Building tolerance, Food addiction, Reduced self-control, Prefrontal cortex, Time to repair, Blood sugar levels and mood, What can we do?, It gets easier, Be wary of certain health foods, Avoid low-fat products, 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.

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